UW-Eau Claire
While the University of Wisconsin — Eau Claire had earned a strong national reputation, their brand did little to distinguish them from other great midsize, Midwestern liberal arts colleges. They were stuck. Our job was to move the campus past their pragmatic “just the facts, you decide” marketing, find their emotional hook, and build a brand that could confidently set them apart.
- Brand Strategy
- Visual Identity
- Web
Case study
Just the facts. UW-Eau Claire’s brand was, above all, practical, pairing a neutral brand voice with a conservative design language.
Previous identity and print materials
The first thing we did was give permission to speak boldly. Only at Eau Claire do you get a perfect balance: small school vibe with big school opportunities, high expectations with exceptional support, the opportunity to put education in action, and a hip, vibrant city surrounded by gorgeous, natural escapes.
We put the brand on a 16° angle to recognize the campus’ founding in 1916 and built a design language that balances a bold, confident new voice with a deep respect for the campus’ history.
Formal legacy seal and new informal marketing seal
A bold new voice
We helped put the new brand in action with admission materials, social media graphics, and advertising.
Finally, we worked with the development firm Electric Citizen and the digital team at UW-Eau Claire to redesign the university’s website from the ground up.
Swink is amazing and our team loved working with them. We appreciated their time, attention, and imagination. Their dedication to understanding what this university is about helped make our updated brand and website refreshing and relevant.
Rebecca Dienger CMO and Director of Integrated Marketing and Communications