Linfield University

Re-think the visual implementation of the Linfield University brand, largely in application to Admissions materials. Following a 2020 re-brand when Linfield College became Linfield University, aspects of the University's visual personality have been lost. In order to address this, we rethought the way that Linfield University Admissions applies its branding to materials. This process largely involved abstract, thinking work revolving around who/what Linfield wanted to convey. In the end, the solution that was developed was re-working one of their mailers. Within our re-work, we included a detailed framework that outlined our changes and thought processes. This project was completed during the class GD429: FLUX Studio at Oregon State University (Spring 2024) under the mentorship of HUB Collective. Materials were created in collaboration with five other designers: Emma Reeve, Hannah Hughes, Courtney Cook, Juan Ponce, and Paige McGuire.

Phase 1: Brand Breakdown

Before we could start re-building anything, we had to first break everything down. To do this we consulted the Linfield University brand guidelines and brand expansion booklets. From this, we extracted their tone words, student needs to be addressed, and brand values. We mapped these words together, centering student needs, and connecting each student need to its relative tone word(s) and brand value(s). This illustrated for us exactly how/how not the actual brand itself was working with itself.

Brand Evaluation Mindmap

Phase 2: Re-think the framework

After the initial breakdown phase, we talked to the client to get their input. We also visited the University, spoke with students and faculty, and gained a first-hand feeling for the tone that should truly be conveyed. From this, we started re-thinking the framework of how the Linfield brand conveys itself. We discussed a variety of ideas, but landed with a comparison to the Fibonacci sequence, repetition, and a cyclical nature.

Ideation

Individual Ideation

'Final' Idea

Phase 3: Break it back down again

We tried to move forward with our findings from phase 2, but had little success. So, we broke things back down again and went back to phase 1. From here, we decided to shift our focus to physical materials. We collected a variety of old materials and sorted through them. We grouped content by section and extracted the physical language and elements that we felt authentically. conveyed the Linfield brand

Physical breakdown of previous materials

Phase 4: Build it Back up

In phase 3 we found success. Through this process we were able to create tangible evidence of exactly was and was not working in what Linfield was doing. From here, we pulled pages from the booklet that we set out to re-design. On these pages we highlighted the elements that were/were not working - these were elements that we felt spoke to the key words on the Linfield brand, and those which did not.

Analysis of past materials

Final Deliverables

After several meetings with the client throughout the process, the new framework that we were developing was resonating with the client. To conclude deliverables, we first re-designed the Linfield University Admissions Spring mailer. Second, we broke down each page of the new booklet, highlighting which visual elements spoke to the Linfield brand and how they did that. With this, we developed a new framework for Linfield University to approach its application of its brand guidelines with. This new framework returns to the more subtle, refined nature of the University which is rooted in a history of encouraging student excellence.

At right, the final, complete mailer is shown, in addition to an example of a breakdown of one the pages.

Example Spread Breakdown

Example Spread Breakdown Continued

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