CATEGORY:
BRAND IDENTITY
YEAR:
2024
AGENCY:
160over90
THE JIST OF IT:
Since 2020, New York University has seen a steady rise in enrollment for its online programs across the institution. These students aren't looking for a “flexible” or “convenient” education, like some other online programs are boasting. Rather they are looking for the immersive global network that only NYU can provide them with.
This moment provides NYU with a key opportunity to create a unified presence for all online programs, so no matter where in the world their students might be tuning in from, it still feels like NYU.
It’s not a zip code—it’s a state of mind. A trademark drive that runs through every professor shaping their industry and connects every new peer you meet. It’s the desire to contribute to a culture bigger than big—and to build exactly the kind of life you want.
NYU’s for the New Yorkers—the ones who never leave the city, and the ones who’ve never stepped foot in the five boroughs. So if you have it in you? Welcome to New York—wherever you are.
A graphic called “the catalyst,” derived from the institution's city grid pattern, has become the brand hero. This ever-changing intersection of lines represents the idea the students can't be represented by just one static intersection and that NYU/online will meet them where ever in the world they are.
NYU Online’s leaders came to us with a challenge: Using the existing NYU design assets, how can we create a unique vision for the online presence? The answer: lean hard on purple, add a program-specific color, and create a graphic that felt aligned to the existing brand.
One constant question throughout executions was “How to we bring NYU to students half way around the world in an authentic way?” Whether it be creating a custom soundscape album called “Violet Noise” that brings the sounds of the city to students as they are studying or a pre-loaded Metrocard urging online students to visit campus if they ever happen to be in the area, bringing the whole experience of the city to students is always the goal.
With 12 schools across the institution offering an online or hybrid degree program, NYU/online really can be whatever the student wants it to be. That's why there is no one exact answer to what the NYU/online experience is. In our design system, we represented this with a “Mad Lib” inspired dropdown graphic, telling a unique story for each student.