Branding Project
Client: Health Innovation Minor at Fontys
Goal
To build a comprehensive and cohesive brand identity and strategy to effectively engage prospective students and market the program.
Research question
How can the Health Innovation minor at Fontys develop a cohesive brand identity and effective communication strategy to engage and attract prospective students?
Reason
For the branding project my team had as client a representant of the Health Innovation minor at Fontys as client. They wanted advice regarding communication to prospective students with timeline for a year, building a brand where different forms of communication are pulled together (Videos, posters, PowerPoint presentations etc.) and a good promo video for marketing.
The Process
CMD Methods: Literature Study, POC’s/Stepping stones: Persona, Moodboard
Methodology
Qualitative(Literature study):
Aims to enhance comprehension of finding ways of study’s audience through studying other websites and articles about the topic.Qualitative (Interview):
This method is employed to gather insights into user behavior, needs, challenges, and expectations while utilizing the website.Empathize
Before dividing our tasks we started by doing research on our client by following CMD methods such as surveys and literature study. Afterwards, our team created a survey from which we gathered information about the overall look of what the brand guide should have and how the target audience perceives the brand.
Define
A user persona is a fictional character crafted to embody the characteristics and behaviors of the target users of a product. The team went on to create personas, as they are a tool to better addressing the needs and wishes of the target audience. Being a big team, we divided our tasks into groups of two. One group created the brand guide, the other the content strategy section and the third group was responsible of creating the POC’S and brand materials, based on the Brand Guide created by the team.
Ideation
The team created stylescapes and logos, but was still struggling of what direction to go in, so we asked the client for feedback on them, therefore using the best of each, and then merging of all stylescapes created the final one. Even though the logo we chose was almost a common symbol, we used its familiarity and further utilized it in the creation of the POC’s.
Assess(Presentation 1):
During the first presentation we received overall positive feedback which wasn’t as good as we thought it was since we thought we had a clear direction over the course of this project, but instead we focused on our individual visions. Our teachers told us how it feels more like individual work presented separately than a whole project. So, we unified our work and chose a common direction.
Prototype
After the first presentation, our team proceeded to create more refined versions of the POC’s which are merch and posters, with implemented feedback from teachers.
Test/Assess(Presentation 2):
For the second presentation we divided our tasks in groups rather than individually, and our workflow was smoother as well. In the second presentation we presented our progress and the client was happy with the results.
Conclusion
The Branding Project for the Health Innovation minor at Fontys successfully delivered a cohesive brand identity and strategy tailored to engage prospective students.
By combining surveys, personas, and stylescapes, we aligned the visuals and messaging with the target audience’s preferences.
Initial feedback highlighted the need for more unified teamwork, which we addressed by restructuring our approach and refining the POC’s based on teacher and client input.
The final presentation demonstrated a polished and collaborative effort, leaving the client pleased with the results and confident in using the materials to market their program.
Reflection
This project taught me the importance of teamwork and clear communication throughout the process. Initially, I realized that our work felt fragmented because we focused too much on individual tasks, which made it harder to see the bigger picture. After receiving feedback, we learned to work more collaboratively, combining our ideas to create a more cohesive final product. However, reflecting on it, I would have used more research methods as well as create more POC’s for a more in-depth view into the project, and stakeholder communication could have definitely been improved. Overall, this project helped me grow as a designer by showing how vital collaboration and flexibility are in delivering a successful brand strategy.
