Today’s students have more choices than ever, from university and apprenticeships to employment and vocational training. With growing competition and changing expectations, universities need to work harder to stand out and demonstrate real impact.
Working closely with Swansea University’s marketing team, Icon developed a campaign built on insight into what truly matters to students ie. belonging, experience and opportunity.
Scope
• Campaign
• Prospectus
• Animation
• Illustration
• Digital
• Bilingual
Education
Our evolving illustration style played a central role to the campaign, shifting the focus away from the traditional graduation moment and towards the energy, connection and sense of belonging that shape the student experience from day one.
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The bold, expressive visuals, already synonymous with Swansea's campaigns continued to cut through a crowded sector, placing students from a wide range of courses at the heart of the campaign.
Research demonstrates applicants and parents alike have praised the style for feeling fresh and approachable, while performance data shows it's delivering on driving awareness, engagement and student applications.
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Our evolving illustration style played a central role, moving away from the traditional ‘end of journey’ graduation moment towards capturing the energy, connection and belonging that define the student experience from day one. The bold visual approach, already a Swansea hallmark, continued to cut through the noise of the sector. Students and parents alike have praised the style for feeling fresh and approachable, while performance data showed it's delivering on driving awareness, engagement and student applications The coastal setting, a cornerstone of Swansea’s identity, was woven throughout the visuals bringing a sense of openness and possibility. The style remained recognisably Swansea, but took on new layers of warmth and inclusivity, reflecting the university’s values and ambitions. Underpinning the creative was the strapline, ‘Where bright futures begin.’
The city’s coastal setting, a defining part of Swansea’s identity, was woven throughout the campaign to create a strong sense of place across every touchpoint.
The style remained recognisably Swansea, but took on new layers of inclusivity, reflecting the university’s values and ambitions.
Underpinning the campaign was the strapline, ‘Where bright futures begin’, reinforcing the university’s long-term promise and positioning as Swansea as a place where opportunity starts.
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Alongside the creative, the campaign highlighted Swansea’s academic strengths, including 1st in the UK for Health Professions, 1st in the UK for Paramedic Science and 2nd in the UK for Sport Science, giving prospective students a clear sense of what a degree from Swansea University offers.
The illustrations were able to flex across every touchpoint from large scale OOH through to social media animations and exhibition graphics.
The printed prospectus was also redesigned to be more accessible and student-centred, with digital platforms adding increased authenticity through ambassador-led content and short videos.
QR codes linked physical and digital seamlessly, creating a joined-up journey that mirrored the student path from enrolment to graduation, employment to alumni.
Our evolving illustration style played a central role, moving away from the traditional ‘end of journey’ graduation moment towards capturing the energy, connection and belonging that define the student experience from day one. The bold visual approach, already a Swansea hallmark, continued to cut through the noise of the sector. Students and parents alike have praised the style for feeling fresh and approachable, while performance data showed it's delivering on driving awareness, engagement and student applications The coastal setting, a cornerstone of Swansea’s identity, was woven throughout the visuals bringing a sense of openness and possibility. The style remained recognisably Swansea, but took on new layers of warmth and inclusivity, reflecting the university’s values and ambitions. Underpinning the creative was the strapline, ‘Where bright futures begin.’
These levels of interactivity were embedded in the English and Welsh digital prospectuses, allowing the Marketing and admissions teams to access invaluable analytics on user habits and page performance. For students, this opened up a higher level of personalisation and responsiveness.
The result is a campaign that feels as fresh as it does familiar, balancing the boldness of Swansea’s established identity with an evolved expression of inclusivity and aspiration.
By showing what it means to belong, Swansea stands out as more than a place to study; it’s a place to thrive and a place to call home.
Today’s students have more choices than ever, from university and apprenticeships to employment and vocational training. With growing competition and changing expectations, universities need to work harder to stand out and demonstrate real impact.
Working closely with Swansea University’s recruitment team, Icon developed a campaign built on insight into what truly matters to students ie. belonging, experience and opportunity.
Scope
Campaign • Prospectus
OOH • Illustration • Print Billingual
Education
“I’m at the first UCAS exhibition of the cycle in Manchester. This is the first time I’ve seen the prospectus in action with an audience.
Just wanted to say that it’s incredibly user friendly - the visuals/maps are great and their placement makes it so much easier to bring the wow factors to people’s attention.
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Thanks very much to everyone who worked on this - it feels like the best product we’ve ever had.”
Steve Minney
Head of Student Recruitment, Swansea University
“Icon’s vision and creative flair have helped make our undergraduate campaign a huge success; we have seen significant increases in prospectus distribution, up 30% on the previous year in some areas of the U.K. and a subsequent rise in open day bookings.”
Gemma Williamson,
Head of Marketing, Digital and Creative Services,
Swansea University