university of liverpool
BRANDING · LAUNCH CAMPAIGN · DIGITAL · PRINT COLLATERAL
The Challenge — University Branding and Campaign Design at Scale
The University of Liverpool had a world-class academic reputation. What it needed was a campaign that could carry that reputation into a fully online, global context – and make it land for learners who had never set foot in a lecture hall.
The difficulty wasn’t just reaching people. It was reaching the right people, in the right way, across multiple channels, markets and teams – all while staying firmly within an established institutional brand. Everything had to feel modern, accessible and distinctly Liverpool.
THE PROCESS – BUILDING A CAMPAIGN DESIGN SYSTEM THAT COULD SCALE
We worked closely with marketing and academic teams across Kaplan Open Learning and the university to map out every touchpoint from launch day onwards. The university branding and campaign design process started with expanding the existing Liverpool identity into a digital-first design system that could flex across formats without losing coherence.
A promotional video anchored the campaign, setting the visual tone for everything that followed. Typographic rhythm, colour balance and motion transitions were developed and stress-tested before the wider asset suite was built. Digital prospectus templates were refined across desktop and mobile. Photography and illustration were aligned to a single consistent narrative. Every decision was tested against real-world use before sign-off.
THE RESULT – A UNIVERSITY CAMPAIGN THAT BUILT TRUST AT SCALE
The launch generated strong global interest and drove early registrations from day one. The visual clarity and consistent storytelling gave prospective learners immediate confidence in the quality and accessibility of the programmes.
The work proved that considered university branding and campaign design is one of the most effective tools a university can have when expanding into online education.
DELIVERABLES
- Brand-led promotional video introducing the online programmes
- Global social media campaign for paid and organic channels
- Digital prospectuses and course brochures with clear typographic hierarchy
- Stationery and marketing materials aligned to digital-first use
- Visual direction for the eLearning environment
- Accessibility-focused layouts and contrast-tested colour palettes
- A cohesive design system extending the Liverpool brand identity into online education
“Mario thinks on the cutting edge of innovation and always comes up with elegant, creative and practical solutions no matter how challenging the task. The high quality of his work on the University of Liverpool campaign speaks for itself.”
– Elena Clafferty, Head of Marketing, Kaplan Open Learning
This project was completed during Mario’s time at Kaplan Open Learning, prior to founding Watercat Creative.