2023 | GRAPHIC DESIGN AND
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
Marketing Campaign: SFU Semester in Dialogue
The Objective
To create and execute a compelling digital and in-person marketing campaign that captured student interest and fulfilled enrolment numbers for the SFU Centre for Dialogue’s Semester in Dialogue program. This Semester in Dialogue’s theme was “The Future of Healthcare”, where students would be exploring how systems thinking and dialogue could guide collective learning for healthcare in the future.
I was responsible for creating the physical and digital marketing assets and collaborating with a team for the marketing and communication strategy of the campaign. These processes involved collaboration with the teaching faculty, communications team, and the Centre’s Director of Operations.
The Process
In the initial stages, it was challenging to create visual assets that accurately encompassed the entire scope of the syllabus as the curriculum was still being designed at the time. I wanted to create an exciting visual framework that was modern, unique to this program, and captivating, while balancing Simon Fraser University and The Centre for Dialogue’s established brand guidelines.
Since the Centre for Dialogue branding limits designs to photo-realistic designs (as opposed to using digital illustrations) I tried to push the boundaries by using photorealistic objects in a collage-esque way. I chose objects that represented the course topics, including plants that were used in traditional Indigenous medicine, Western medicine, community care, and healthcare technology. I placed these objects in the shape of a question mark to help push the open-ended future of healthcare. This poster was created using a combination of Canva and Adobe Photoshop.
This project had a tight deadline and the visuals required many iterations, as the initial vision was vague while the course outline was still being developed. However, after lots of teamwork and communication, and some compromises, we were able to arrive at a great visual and marketing plan. The marketing campaign involved analyzing our audiences and their motivations, conducting research on the most effective digital and in-person touchpoints, crafting key messages, and putting together a social media strategy.
The Outcome
Despite starting behind schedule, with combined efforts, the campaign was a success. We were able to exceed our enrolment targets ahead of schedule, a month before the application deadline. I really enjoyed spearheading the creative vision of the process and collaborating with the faculty and executive team to execute strategy and achieve our targets ahead of schedule.
Why This Project was Significant to Me
The Semester in Dialogue program is what inspires and equips students with tools on how to use dialogue to further community engagement, co-create solutions to pressing global issues, and encourage different ways of learning. At increasingly polarizing times, youth voices are often left out of the conversation, and Semester in Dialogue is a great opportunity for young people to develop their knowledge of dialogue, push beyond their own worldviews, and find that their voice in the community matters. I have personally seen the impact that Semester in Dialogue has on students and the trajectory of their careers, so it was important and rewarding for me to successfully promote this amazing opportunity. While I enjoyed spearheading the creative process, the cross-collaboration and teamwork for a heavy in-person and online campaign was what really made it a success.
