University of Toronto
The Story
After three years of developing successful creative for University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies (UofT SCS), which evolved to become a global leader in university-level continuing education, the organization tasked Borealis with reinventing the brand’s creative platform and essence. In an effort to distinguish its offering of life-long learning from other post-secondary institutions, UofT SCS needed to evolve its own brand to become more unique, differentiated and unexpected.
Awards
The new master brand was recognized in 2021 at the Canadian Association of University Continuing Education (CAUCE) winning the large publications category with their online flip book, and best in show for all the marketing categories for the Knowledge Hub series
Deliverables
Strategic development
Messaging matrix
Creative platform development
Wordmark and system
Brand guidelines
Social assets
Advertising
Foldout Viewbook
Online Viewbook
Blog naming & redesign
The cornerstone of the UofT SCS brand rests upon their unique blend of modular programs and the belief that a life well lived includes an individual’s ability to continually level up, personally or professionally. The School’s unique positioning, leading-edge approach to teaching essential and emerging skills, paired with the strength of their reputation allowed our work to push boundaries not only in creative expression but in tone and messaging.
With the idea of a “Rally Cry” at its core, a creative platform was developed to stand out and inspire, one which would assert UofT SCS as being bold, fearless, and future-focused.
The Viewbook/Flipbook expanded the Creative Platform into an editorial style, conveying learner and instructor stories in a unique fold-down format. The Viewbook was transformed into a digital magazine microsite, which won the CAUCE (Canadian Association for University Continuing Education) design award for Publications — Large.
The masterbrand included a logo signature system to coordinate the lines of business under one look.
Blog redesign and naming: “CuriousU”
Amplifying the Brand
The “Rally Cry” creative platform lead with inspirational, emotionally driven messaging and non-traditional imagery to connect back to the brand’s positioning: “We enrich lives, transform careers and celebrate life-long learning.” The platform’s aesthetic qualities were developed to look like no other educational institution, to truly be an extension of the organization’s leadership in the industry. Stereotypical and overused post-secondary imagery was avoided altogether. Instead, an artful, expressive, and contemporary visual language was designed to deliver a fresh method of storytelling.
A Brand Manifesto was written to articulate the School’s bold vision and guide all future marketing and communications materials.
Detailed knowledge of the School’s target audiences, lines of business, and unique challenges, enhanced through years of successful marketing collaborations, allowed for a tailored, flexible solution which considered multi-channel, multi-platform, multi-audience requirements.
Creative development began with a new modern wordmark system which visually unified SCS’s many lines of business under a masterbrand, followed by a detailed Brand Guidelines document complete with messaging matrix, creative toolkit and photography guidelines. To showcase learner and instructor stories, as well as new courses, the editorial style of past course magazines was continued yet reimagined through the lens of the new creative platform. A unique fold-down viewbook was designed, including custom illustrations, and for the first time, its online counterpart. Digital and social assets were created to amplify the brand and promote the viewbook, its stories, and upcoming programs. Finally, the SCS blog was renamed and redesigned to reflect the new brand.
