USC Dornsife

Objective:

USC Dornsife is the academic heart of USC, home to 80+ majors and a diverse, driven student body. The admissions team needed materials that captured that spirit—clear, bold, and student-focused—while staying within USC’s brand system.

Working with the admissions team, we worked to: 

• Clarify the difference of the USC Dornsife experience
• Show the customizability of the academic paths
• Highlight real students
• Ensure that while it's aligned with the USC brand, it also stands apart
• Create a cohesive experience from the physical collateral to the website and emails

Results:

The final design system was multi-faceted to encompass the diverse experiences that a Dornsife student could experience

• "Your Future Self Now" messaging to highlight that the Dornsife experience was helping shape the future self.
• Constellations to show the guidance that was available as they charted their course
• Photocompositions that blended the student, the campus, an academic disceplene, and a study-abroad destination

This design system then supported print, digital and web experiences:

• A viewbook that had multiple cover options so that potential applicants could select the one that interested them most
• A branded "Welcome Kit" for admitted students to get them excited about their college experience
• A smoother, more intuitive admitted student and admissions website
• A 'major map' that highlighted the 80+ majors available to students within the College
• Campus signage that carried the design system through to the in-person experience

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