THINK AND DO: For you and For All:
NC State Institutional Message 2014
Data is getting bigger: In today’s world, cellphones, assembly lines and even whole ecosystems are packed with sensors that collect mountains of new information. How we manage these growing data sets may determine the future prosperity of our state and nation.
Thanks to big data, uncharted territory could soon be a thing of the past.
Our world-leading faculty members collaborate across disciplines to meet tomorrow’s challenges. We send our students into the workforce with the skills and experience to compete in emerging fields. Together with our partners in government and industry, we’re undaunted by the explosion of data — and excited by the good that can be done with it.
PRELIMINARY RESEARCH AND IDEATION
Think and Do set the stage for both the start of a brand refresh that rolled out to the general public in 2013.
In 2014 we decided to see how far we could take it and push the boundaries of what's accepted in the world of higher-ed messaging, What better way to take NC State's claims of being bold and forward-thinking than to simply put our talent where our mouth is?
We started by brainstorming strong projects that the university was working on through the lens of how data can be used as a force for good.
Then, in keeping with the university's mission, it was time to analyze how data can be used purposely and for the well-being of society.
Numerous drafts and revisions of the script were produced to try to get the language simultaniously succinct, accessible and bold.
In keeping with the ideas of impact within the micro/macro world that NC State is constantly investigating, storyboard thumbnails were sketched out in an attempt to define rhythm and interconnectivity.
A script anatomy was then drafted that described the overall theme pacing through the spoken messaging within the commercial narration.
A conceptual timeline map explaining the context of all of the shots and how they relate to the on-screen messaging was created to continue analyzing pace.
Final storyboard (excerpt)
After the initial sketchbook thumbnails and experiments in meter and timing, a proper storyboard was created. Color-coded areas denoted where subject shift would happen in the broader thematic.
Storyboard was hand drawn and scanned into the computer to produce the animatic.
Animatic
Once the storyboard was finalized, the next step was to create an animatic. Initially we had explored using a bebop jazz sound, which would be lockstep with our modern, bold feel. Eventually this direction was scrapped, as we felt our audience may become confused to that style of music and we ventured towards a more electronica/beats direction.
Broadcast commercial
For this year's approach, we decided to really focus on introducing our audience to the wider range of colors in NC State's new expanded palette. Also expanding was our visual language, which we adapted to include a highly-charged information graphic style.
We attacked this year's message with conviction. We used bold, clear, unambiguous asthetics and utilized language that expressed certainty. We relied on the university's impactful work that illustrated our point without the need for complex explanations.
In addition to the main broadcast commercial, four 15-second spots were created, each highlighting one of the areas touched on in the commercial that were used for on-line video streaming pre-roll.
THINK AND DO: For you and for all 2014: WEB PRESENCE
With an even more expansive and responsive design built into NC State's new brand, the Think and Do microsite includes the animated television spot; compelling supporting content that illustrates our signature mix of immersive teaching, applicable research, collaborative study and economic development. Continuing on the foundations we built with the 2013 launch, the new Think and Do campaign continues to utilize bold photography and impactful infographics.
Digital ads, print ads, emails and internet video pre-roll all have calls to action linking to the site, and they reflect this confident stance by exercising a forward momentum of motion.
Tablet and mobile configurations
As always, all digital components were responsive and utilized our brand's grid system to maximize flexibility.
THINK AND DO: FOR YOU AND FOR ALL 2014: PRINT AND DIGITAL ADVERTISEMENTS
Think and Do: For You and For All messaging will appear in printed magazines including Smithsonian, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, Forbes,Time, The Week, Our State, Business NC and The Chronicle of Higher Education; digital ads will appear on sites including Business Insider, CNN.com, and Inside Higher Ed. Broader visibility will be projected in the Raleigh-Durham International and Charlotte Douglas International Airports.
Using the strong, directional system built in the broadcast commercial, the same bold illustrative elements, language and themes will be reinforced and repeated through the print and digital communications.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport concourse messaging.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport concourse placement.
