Empowering Artistic Students to Embrace Their Unique Talents
An engaging multi-channel brand campaign that celebrates the individuality of creative students and positions Nossi College of Art as the perfect place for them to transform their talents into successful careers.
About Nossi College of Art & Design
Nossi College of Art is a private art school in Nashville, TN offering Bachelor’s degree programs in Graphic Design, Illustration, Photography, Video & Film, Web Design, and an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts. The college is dedicated to nurturing the unique creative talents of each student.
Project Overview
As the Graphic Design Program Director and internal Creative Director at Nossi, I collaborated with a freelance copywriter to develop a comprehensive brand campaign. The goal was to create a unifying message and visual identity that would resonate with prospective creative students who feel like they don’t fit in with the mainstream.
Challenge
Many artistic high school students feel like outsiders because their creative talents and interests make them different from their peers. Nossi wanted to connect with these students and show them that the traits that make them “different” are actually their greatest strengths.
Solution
We developed the positioning statement “Nossi is the college where unique kids can learn to transform their special talents into a career” and the tagline “I’m Different. I’m Nossi.” This empowering message became the rallying cry of a multi-faceted campaign that included:
Print Ads and Billboards
We created a series of visually striking print ads and billboards featuring photos of babies expressing their inner artist, with the headline “You’ve Always Known.” These images were carefully selected and retouched to create a powerful visual impact that would grab the attention of our target audience.
Ad Copy: You’re a unique and creative person. And we designed a college just for people like you. Come to Nossi and turn your talent into a cool career in fields like photography, illustration, web design, film and video, or graphic design. Do people say you’re different? Then Nossi is where you belong.
Social Media Engagement
To foster a sense of community and encourage students to embrace their uniqueness, we launched a social media campaign inviting them to share images representing what makes them different. We wanted to give them complete creative control and celebrate their individuality without constraints.
Video Interviews
We conducted authentic video interviews with students, faculty, and creative professionals, asking them to share the moment they knew they were destined to be artists. These unscripted, spontaneous stories allowed viewers to connect with the genuine experiences of the Nossi community. The videos were shot using minimal equipment to maintain a raw, honest feel and were edited for social media sharing.
Videos were shot on-the-fly in classrooms with an iPhone using available light. Edited using Olli app, PremiereRush, and Adobe Photoshop.
Animated Banners
To extend the campaign’s reach online, we created a series of animated display banners that celebrated uniqueness and creativity. These banners featured different photos from the campaign, along with compelling headlines inviting prospective students to learn more about Nossi.
The Results
The “I’m Different. I’m Nossi.” campaign struck a powerful chord with prospective students, contributing to a 6.4% increase in new student applications. The campaign was awarded Gold in the Collegiate Advertising Awards, one of only 7 Gold awards given to higher education institutions nationwide. By embracing the individuality of each creative person, Nossi was able to build a strong community of talented artists following their dreams.
