For over 15 years, John Brown University has provided a way for working adults to finish their degree. The Advance Program has been highly successful during this time, and it has played a large role in the overall growth of the university.

We began working with the Advance Program in early 2008, and they are a great example of the type of client we love. We’ve worked with the Advance Program from the ground up to establish their organizational identity and communicate their brand through multiple mediums and materials.

Brand Architecture

We started by working on the foundation – their brand. Although the program had experienced success, it lacked a cohesive identity when it came to marketing, advertising, and materials. Additionally, the program was referred to by multiple names, and this led to both internal and external confusion.

We conducted extensive research including online questionnaires, individual interviews, and focus groups of faculty, staff, students, and potential students. Armed with data, we established each key attribute of the brand, including the name, a tagline, key brand messages, brand personality and language, creative themes, and visual standards.

Out of this we settled on going forward with the name “The Advance Program” and the tagline “Finish your degree. Advance your career.” Concurrently we also designed the new JBU  logo, so we established the official sub-branded logo for the Advance Program.

Collateral Materials

One of the initial challenges to overcome was the inconsistency and overall lack of quality in the Advance Program materials. We developed a series of brochures to serve as the primary print items to provide to prospective students. The brochures were designed to work in tandem and fit in a 6×9 envelope for economical postage and production.

Online

The number one point of contact with potential students is the Advance Program website. We redesigned the site to build on the new identity, while scaling back the content to make it more direct, helpful, and personal. The website also features a blog for keeping fresh content on the homepage. We designed the program’s twitter page, as twitter has quickly become a key communication tool.

Advertising

The brand architecture we established also set the direction for the program’s advertising. Among advertising items we created was the following 30-second tv spot.

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