Critical thinking is so 1987. But creative thinking is now.

When Loyola University New Orleans partnered with Zehno for rebranding, we highlighted the common thread running throughout the Loyola academic experience: creative thinking.

The new brand concept, “Create something meaningful,” spotlights how students across all majors use creative thinking to change the world. Conveying this academic strength, along with Loyola’s offbeat and socially conscious culture, led to an enrollment turnaround in the first year.

Making the most of location

You’re probably stuck with your institution’s location. But can you change how people think about it?

Multiple surveys showed that Loyola’s New Orleans location was divisive. The good news was that half of respondents imagined it as a great place to go to college. The bad news was the other half of the audience was saying, “No way.”

That’s understandable. If you appreciate the city’s deep history, quirky culture, shabby chic vibe and “warm” weather, you’re probably in that first group. But if your perception of NOLA is limited to Bourbon Street bars, Mardi Gras and Hurricane Katrina, you may think of the city as a place to visit, but not to live and study.

Because Loyola is so intertwined with the city, part of the marketing challenge was to broaden people’s idea of New Orleans. Here are some ways the new branded materials demonstrate the advantage of living and learning in New Orleans:

Highlight NOLA’s various scenes

There’s more to this town than parades and parties! New materials show off the city’s many “scenes” — some well-known and others surprising:

• Tech scene: New Orleans has been voted #3 best city for tech jobs (Forbes) and coolest startup city in America (Inc.com). One Loyola class pitches its app ideas during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week.
• Food: You can sample 28 James Beard-award-winning chefs and restaurants within 6 miles of campus. So no more complaints about dining hall food!
• Festivals: NOLA’s fabled music festivals extend from EDM to indie: Essence Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, BUKU Music + Art Project and others.
• More scenes: sports, history, outdoors, etc. Explore them all to find your scene.

Highlight the academic connections between school and city

On the academic side, the city is like a learning lab. It’s a place where Loyola students try out what they’re learning. Many course assignments take students out into the community, research projects often have a local or regional angle, and campus clubs often focus on improving lives in the local community. Some examples:

• Teaching science classes at the children’s museum.
• Turning Mardi Gras World parade warehouse into a free dental clinic.
• Transcribing audio interviews with Woody Guthrie for the city’s music archives.
• Tracking biodiversity on the bayous near the city.
• Rolling out a PR campaign for a new payment system that local artists can use to maximize their profits.

Visually portray the feel of the city

Every neighborhood has its own flair — from Uptown’s mansions to the French Quarter’s iron balconies to the Marigny’s quirky shotgun houses. That’s one reason NOLA is a popular setting for movie productions.

For Loyola’s new branding, we captured the textures of the city through photography and illustration. Profiles were often shot both on campus and out in the city. Backdrops ranged from streetcar routes to funky murals to tropical greenery, along with classic campus hot spots. Illustrations used varied line widths and hints of roughness to mimic the city’s grit.