Sheridan College’s new outdoor campaign has been launched in Oakville, Mississauga and Brampton. The billboards in a visual manner communicate Sheridan’s brand focus, which is that students will learn how to work creatively and collaboratively combining artistic skills with technological skills to get a job, but not just any job, a job that will be more satisfying and productive enabling them to “shine brighter” in all facets of life. The billboards reference new courses in game design and development.

 

This outdoor campaign is an expression of the brand focus that Beakbane developed in 2009 to bring the institution’s vision to life and differentiate it from universities and community colleges. How is Sheridan different? It is different from universities in that it gives students the skills to get a job and be immediately productive and it is a step up from community colleges in having long been a leader in teaching applied creativity enhanced with leading-edge technical skills. A well known example is the animation program, from where the Hollywood studios hire new talent.

When we developed the strategy for Sheridan we were keen to employ “inside out branding” and utilize the skills of the staff, the students and the alumni. For instance we helped launch this showcase that encouraged students and alumni to upload their work. When we started developing a plan for the new the billboard campaign we wanted to utilize the skills of Sheridan alumni as well as give students an opportunity to participate in its development. We reached out to photographers and illustrators, including our own staff, who had been educated at Sheridan. We worked with Matthew Plexman who is on the advisory panel for Sheridan’s photography program and the producer, Kate Heron, who was a graduate of Sheridan’s two year photography diploma course.

Kate assembled an array of students who are studying photography, hair & make up, illustration and advertising. We shot on location at Sheridan’s Trafalgar campus. Alisha Denis recruited our models and Rafael Goldchain, coordinator of the photography program, helped make everything fall into place. The inside out branding took form.

You can get a sense of the teamwork from this video of the shoot. It also shows the 3d modelling and illustration executed by another Sheridan grad, Martin Shin.

 

Thanks to everyone who helped make this project a success and especially the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, Janine Gliener.