Fort Lewis College
Fort Lewis College is the public liberal arts university for the state of Colorado. As a Native American-serving institution with about a third of students identifying as first-generation, the college provides unique and supportive opportunities for higher education. Three hours from the closest interstate but on the edge of Colorado’s largest contiguous public lands, the college offers direct access to the outdoors and an affordable option to those seeking a 4 year bachelors or masters degree.
Challenge
Although the college has marketed to prospective students for over 50 years, by 2016, enrollment was down, and brand awareness was poor. The recruiting materials were developed by one-off designers in the admissions office or individual, siloed departments. The haphazard approach produced dated and inconsistent messaging and design.
Solution
The marketing department contributed to the creation of a new brand and style guidelines that were informed by campus listening sessions and market analysis. This unified and refreshed the brand and provided a cohesive set of messaging and visuals, which now serve as the framework for all marketing, internal and external communication, reporting, and environmental design efforts of the school. In the years following the redesign, design production is more efficient and enrollment increased.
