Union Institute and University

The original “university without walls,” Union Institute & University began as a consortium of like-minded liberal arts colleges and eventually became a degree granting institution itself in 1971. Over the years, the school acquired additional campuses and learning facilities—each of them with their own way of doing things—and as a result had created a fair amount of confusion among faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, administrators were finding it increasingly difficult to market to prospective students.

The Challenge

Union came to the Creative Department seeking to combine 10+ university websites into one cohesive site that incorporated a unified look and feel and simplified messaging that spoke to degree seeking adults.

The Solution

My partner, Brandon Blank, and I began by visiting Union’s Brattleboro, VT campus to interview faculty, students, and administrators.

When we returned, we first implemented a few simple changes—moving their domain from tui.edu (TUI stood for The Union Institute) to myunion.edu—and emphasizing the word Union in their logo. Then we crafted a campaign message around dispelling common myths about going back to school. We took these elements and created an easy to navigate site that invited prospective students to change their thinking.

The result has been increased site traffic, a boost in enrollment, and happier faculty and students.

What I Did

I was responsible for creating the Change Your Thinking campaign, concepting the site’s functionality and user experience, and crafting top-level site messaging and content.

Credits

Copywriter: Sean Biehle
Art Director: Brandon Blank

Gallery

Click an image below to view screenshots (including a screenshot of the site before it was redesigned) or visit the site (opens in new window).

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