Driving Discovery
Campus Partners: Arts & Sciences, Alumni and Development
Driving Discovery, a combined effort of Arts & Sciences, Alumni & Development, and MarComm, is an initiative designed designed to spur a new era of scientific discovery at WashU.
Strategy
Our challenge on Driving Discovery was to bring to life the initiative’s vision for potential supporters and the larger community, beginning with the program’s communications strategy. Our efforts in this regard included naming the initiative, positioning, and developing content and a visual identity. This was all done in alignment with university brand standards, but with a “look and feel” geared toward this particular effort.
The multiyear Driving Discovery plan includes implementing world class facilities—including the repurposing of older buildings on campus—recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty, and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration.
Next, our team created a brochure to highlight the project’s scope and potential for lasting impact. The resulting piece—which includes dynamic photography and renderings of future plans—is utilized by Alumni & Development to build the awareness and support imperative to the plan’s realization.
In addition, we developed supporting materials such as ‘one-sheets’ on particular aspects of Driving Discovery, a PowerPoint design, letterhead, and more. Our communications and design efforts also provided a foundation for further development by our partners in Arts & Sciences, who created a companion website. Through this partnership, MarComm fostered engagement with and support for this ambitious project, highlighting the university’s extraordinary potential for future discovery.
News
Lastly, our news team collaborated with journalists on coverage, including a special cover story appearing in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
