Washington University
The problem.
Strong academic equity, weak digital identity. Their feed didn't match the prestige of the institution.
The strategic insight.
Prestige doesn't translate digitally on its own — it needs a native voice that signals it.
The method.
Rebuilt the brand system, then trained a student creator collective to populate it without diluting it.
Identity refresh · Creator onboarding · 4-month content sprint.
- 01
Positioning audit
Separated what the institution owns academically from what its channels were communicating. The equity existed offline and was absent online.
- 02
Identity system
Refreshed the digital identity — typography, colour discipline, motion rules, caption voice — so prestige could survive a phone-shot video.
- 03
Creator collective onboarding
Trained a student collective on the system rather than policing them with approvals: what is fixed, what is theirs. That kept volume high without dilution.
- 04
4-month sprint
Ran a concentrated content sprint so the new identity landed as a visible shift, not a slow drift nobody notices.
The verified result.
- Engagement rose because the format changed, while the institutional standard was held.
- Follower growth is a by-product; earned mentions matter more for an academic brand's reputation.
The forward play.
Spin a sub-channel for graduate programs with its own creator pod.