Synonymous with art and design education for nearly a century, Emily Carr University of Art + Design needed to evolve into the modern day. As Agency of Record, Monday helped ECU navigate major internal change, supporting its marketing team with projects ranging from big insights to digital assets. Brand research was the throughline that made it all resonate—the voices of staff and students shaped insights reports that uncovered real opportunities.

Drawing creative inspiration from Brand R+D

Our early milestones with the University involved refreshing and standardizing the brand amidst leadership changes. We needed to know where perceptions aligned—and where they didn’t—to create a consistent experience for their team, and for present and future students as well. Monday kicked things off by speaking to internal and external stakeholders, aligning on who the ideal ECU student really is. From there, we developed ideal customer personas that captured the current, prospective and aspirational students—giving each a personalized pathway through customer journeymapping.

A visual system that colours outside the lines

Using the ECU logo as a starting point, we developed a refreshed brand design system and flexible new logo lockups—making the logo more legible and versatile. We wanted to honour the school’s established legacy while connecting with today’s highly creative student body. Focus groups with students gave us their POV on which elements resonated with their experience at the University. These conversations informed a contemporary, dynamic refined brand system. The resulting brand guidelines give the ECU team creative cohesion across every department and program.

Crafting impactful brand campaigns

Throughout our ongoing partnership, Monday was tasked with several key campaigns. ECU was facing misperceptions around cost and attainability, so we spoke to current and prospective students to understand how they felt about their educational environment and financial investment. We learned what they valued and where they struggled—then shaped a campaign for recruitment and retention, using student quotes to highlight how ECU goes beyond a degree. Our three-phase roll-out plan was designed to meet students on their most-used platforms—from podcast advertising to evergreen TikTok and Instagram content.

We also launched a brand new Continuing Studies program. The ask was to land on messaging to speak to the program, then drive registration through a go-to-market strategy. Monday developed a campaign concept rooted in personalization and flexibility, then brought it to life in animated social ads, transit shelter placements, and an automated email flow.

The results

Building trust with ECU’s marcomm team and stakeholders nurtured a deeply collaborative relationship. Beyond the visual identity refresh, one of the biggest wins was the response to our ongoing marketing for Continuing Studies. After only a few weeks of kicking off the campaign, their new CS program was oversubscribed.