Our challenge was to accompany the IE ecosystem as it grows and to find methods of initiating a digital transformation that responded to the new needs of their target audience. This strategic evolution needed to happen across platforms, events, and different Schools in order to create impactful moments of audience engagement.

We crafted one-of-a-kind digital experiences that have boosted IE’s marketing and engagement efforts and expanded their ability to reach digital consumers and potential students across the world. They have also been integrated with IE’s CRM and other tools utilised by their marketing team to allow them to collect information and measure impact in the ways they attract and convert potential students. Creating new experiences and supporting other outreach efforts, these digital pieces of communication have further enriched their strategic student journey.

Events are an important touchpoint, allowing universities and schools to engage with prospective students in a more personal and memorable way. For over six years, Studio Banana has worked with IE to create impactful events that go beyond the expected. As part of that, we are always faced with the challenge of creating new solutions that build on what we’ve done before and respond to the increasingly digital needs of contemporary consumers.

Efforts like the Sales Support Project, which was designed for IE Schools, help to facilitate events by creating seamlessly informative experiences. With bespoke digital content and interactive solutions, these original pieces of communication make it easy for students to learn more about the programs that interest them.

Another tool in our events arsenal is augmented reality. With it, prospective students can step into the world, and onto the campus, of IE University. By allowing them to interact directly with their potential new home, this AR experience helps give a more detailed idea of all that IEU has to offer.

A strong online identity is a crucial resource, especially since websites are often the primary place prospective students look when seeking out information. The challenge is not just to be clear, concise, and informative – it’s also to make an impression and to set a positive tone that will shape and define the rest of their journey with the institution.

For the IE Schools we approached this from a few different directions, both to support the visual language and unique character of each School and also to show their connection to and place within the larger IE ecosystem. We created a consistent design thread that, more than just looking nice, helps students easily recognise material regardless of they find it online or in print.

We further expanded IE’s ability to reach potential students by re-designing pamphlets and other materials to make them easily accessible online. These efforts were more than mere adaptations of print materials, representing a strategic evolution in the type and kind of content that students can access. Building a coherence across materials and capitalising on the opportunities presented by digital media, these transformed points of information add richness to the student journey.

By removing informational roadblocks, and optimising content so that it can easily be read online, IE keeps its digital doors open to interested students. Having passive and evergreen options for engagement is important because it allows students to access information whenever they become interested in the programs, rather than only offering outreach during specific points in the year.

Aware of how overwhelming the process of applying and arriving to a new university can be, we created digital tools to ease the transition for incoming students. By curating information and sharing it in clear, visual, and interactive formats, Path to IEU and the Interactive Campus Map offer intuitive digital experiences. Because a lack of clarity and ease around these processes can strongly influence students’ choice of university, these solutions add value to multiple points along the student journey.

For Path to IEU, we simplified the application process and presented it in a clear and convenient digital format. Using friendly and appealing graphics along with animated characters, this new strategy offers all of the necessary information in a simple and user-friendly way.

The IE interactive campus map also offers clarity and cuts down on confusion by helping students understand where each building is located on their campus and what happens inside. Adapting content and illustrations originally developed for print booklets, the digital map is an example of creative wayfinding and how different platforms can be used to impact audiences. Including recommendations for restaurants and helpful information about nearby banks and public transportation, the map plays a fundamental role in helping campus visitors feel comfortable and confident from the moment they arrive.

Whether finding innovative ways to engage prospective students at events, making information memorable and easy to access, or simplifying a student’s arrival to IE, our digital solutions can be applied to every step of the student journey.

These efforts have enriched key touchpoints, creating opportunities to make a bigger impact on students as they discover, make decisions about, and join the IE community. They have also boosted the marketing efforts of IE University and Schools, respecting their separate identities within the larger IE ecosystem to create meaningful moments of student engagement.

To see more about how digital design can enhance touchpoints along the student journey,  follow Studio Banana on LinkedIn.