College of Fine Arts
Opening the gateway to the arts at BU to a more unified future.
Challenge
CFA needed a singular identity that embraces its position as a leading arts institution and provides cohesion between its three well-established schools: music, theater, and visual arts.
Solution
To focus CFA’s identity and maximize the collective power of its three schools, we developed a strategy that highlights the college’s leadership among peer art institutions, its dynamic, passionate faculty of working artists, and the robust resources found at a nationally ranked research university, like faculty mentorship programs, student-led research opportunities, and professional partnerships.
This meant that the redesigned twice-annual alumni publication took on the college’s shorthand name, “CFA,” and incorporated a modern style that used dynamic visuals, color, and composition that worked in print and digital formats.
Stories written by our editorial team shifted from categorical (music, theater, or visual arts) groupings to a more inclusive focus on the art and artist. The print issue also incorporated timely feature stories, showcased the success of alumni, and maintained its status as a highly recognized publication with the staying power and interest of a coffee-table book.
The website was redesigned to make bolder use of motion and visually driven composition. Animations, intuitive design, and new navigation highlighted storytelling and further reflected the newly integrated brand approach. Technically, the site also launched with new, user-friendly ways to display social and video.
Since launch, the multiple-award-winning magazine and website have spotlighted CFA as a world leader in arts education, highlighted timely thought-leadership content, and tightened the visual links between print and digital content with intuitive, engaging design.