university of manitoba - 2019 rebrand

the rebrand

After seven years of the same brand, and a whole heck of a lot of change internally, UM felt it was time for a new voice to carry their institution forward. We consulted over 7, 000 community members – students, faculty, parents, alumni, donors, Indigenous leaders and more – over the span of 11 months to help us shape our creative development. Sure, the pressure was on. But we proudly delivered.

From a conceptual standpoint, the new brand is rooted in modern appeal. It invites our audience to bring their wildest dreams, ideals and potential to UM and collide with the great people, places and opportunities they meet. The new tone of voice is welcoming and positive, yet challenges our audience to believe in themselves and boasts a strong tagline as the final, empowering phrase they read: What inspires you can change everything.

The first iteration of the newly-developed brand was recognized with a Circle of Excellence Award by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. I helped lead the team in concept development and was the primary copywriter on the account.

THE Brand Refresh

Riding on the momentum from the successful rebrand of 2019, in 2022 we were tasked with developing a new iteration of the brand that dialed into work UM does around the world to build a better future. So, instead of using the prototypical “smiling student being happy at university”, we chose to focus on the point of impact, creating more hype around the university as a whole and highlighting the work itself.

We put the viewer directly in that point and place of impact; the scientific breakthrough, the cultural shift, the dire situation that desperately begged for an answer – and each ad pointed to UM as the ones responsible for that answer.

The campaign began with a takeover of Winnipeg’s James Richardson International Airport and extended into print and social applications.

Each airport pillar emphasizes one core area of UM research: Climate Change, Reconciliation and Indigenous Education, Experiential Learning and Health as a Human Right