SAE University Programs
Spearheading a Visual Revolution for a Higher Education Brand
Picture hundreds of the world’s top engineering students — running on nothing but dreams and determination — working around the clock for months preparing for a series of rigorous technical competitions.
Now imagine trying to capture that energy with photography and videos that only show half of the story. That was the challenge facing SAE University Programs. They had gigabytes of event photography and videos, but something was missing – that spark that makes you feel the concentration of brilliant minds in the air, hear the clang of tools hitting the ground, see the triumph in tired eyes — the sense of actually being there.
Services provided:
Creative Direction
Storytelling Strategy
Visual Guideline Development
Identifying Key Priorities & Quick Wins
Any time you’re dealing with large groups of people, it can be difficult to cut through all of the background noise and find the interactions and experiences that really define the event. It’s not about the number of shots, but really using your photography and videography to tell a cohesive, intentional story.
University teams were already capturing amazing event photography and videography on their own. They were also driving tons of engagement on their social media channels. Working together with the University Programs team, we identified examples that would serve as their “true north” for future events.
Defining a Targeted Marketing Strategy
First, we assessed current photography and videography to identify what was working and what needed fine-tuning
Then, we curated a collection of standout student-generated content that captured the true spirit of competition, and wrote precise visual guidelines based on what we saw was working well in these examples
Next, we worked with the SAE University Programs and the internal marketing team to further refine visual storytelling guidelines including the optimal number of subjects per shot, compositional guidelines for photographers to pay attention to, etc.
“Shawn’s ability to pull out a brand’s story is unmatched. SAE’s University Programs creative direction is just one example of how he’s transformed how we show the thrill of attending one of these events through incredible visual storytelling. Handed the broken pieces and half-baked projects large organizations often struggle with, Shawn was able to work beyond the organizational challenges and helped us focus on how to improve the end product one piece at a time. With these changes, we’ve seen a huge improvement in University Programs’ digital engagement, and more confident pitching for sponsors to support our efforts.”