UTSA REBRANDING AND CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Uniting Two Campuses Under One Campaign to Raise $180 Million… and Exceed It

Challenge
UTSA’s Development team launched an ambitious $150 million capital campaign to support their Tier One status initiative. But the university lacked a unified visual identity across its main and downtown campuses, making it difficult to present a cohesive case to donors and stakeholders. They needed a clear communications strategy and an engaging campaign presence, both online and offline.

Strategy
We set out to create a visual and messaging system that aligned with UTSA’s brand while tailoring communications to donors' specific interests. Interviews with Development Officers and donors revealed the need for real-time campaign data, flexible print materials, and a modern digital hub that could function as both a donor-facing tool and a public information portal.

Deliverables

Visual Communications System
Developed a cohesive visual identity system used across both UTSA campuses, aligning with newly established brand standards and ensuring consistent expression across all print and digital materials.

Brand Unification Strategy
Conducted brand discovery and facilitated alignment workshops with stakeholders from both campuses to merge fragmented visual languages into a single, compelling campaign identity.

Multi-Platform Asset Design
Created modular print and digital materials for Development Officers, including customizable brochure kits with swappable inserts tailored to individual donor interests.

Integrated Campaign Messaging
Led the messaging framework, working closely with the internal content team to define a unifying tone of voice and campaign narrative, incorporating key differentiators like UTSA’s emerging Tier One status.

Interactive Capital Campaign Website
Collaborated with UTSA’s internal web team to ideate, wireframe, and design a responsive, easy-to-navigate digital experience that could be updated in real-time with fundraising progress and news.

Photography and Video Art Direction
Directed a multi-day, on-campus shoot to capture students, faculty, and researchers in authentic environments, producing a rich media library for ongoing campaign use across print and screen.

Donor Engagement Toolkit
Developed digital tools and talking-point materials for Development Officers to use in donor meetings, including interactive PDFs, video sizzle reels, and data visualizations aligned to UTSA’s fundraising milestones.

Campaign Progress Visualization System
Created dynamic progress bars and impact trackers on the website, along with a content management plan to keep figures fresh, transparent, and aligned with campaign goals.

Stakeholder Alignment Consultation
Partnered with UTSA leadership, marketing, and advancement teams to ensure communications were aligned with fundraising strategy, institutional goals, and audience needs.

Performance Measurement Plan
Defined visual KPIs and success metrics for the campaign’s creative output, ensuring that every touchpoint contributed to increased engagement, clarity, and donor confidence.

Results
The campaign site became a favorite tool for Development Officers. Combined with the updated print collateral, the materials energized donor outreach and internal alignment. The campaign exceeded expectations, raising $180 million—well above the $150 million target—securing UTSA’s place among Texas’s top-tier research institutions.