Already an elite public institution with an international Top 10 reputation, the University of Michigan has even grander plans to reach for in the next ten years. “Our vision is to be the defining public university [in the next ten years], boldly exemplified by our innovation and service to the common good,” wrote President Santa J. Ono to the U-M community, unveiling a bold new plan for the university’s decade: Vision 2034.
U-M aspires to set a new standard for higher education in the 21st Century. SimpsonScarborough’s goal was to give Vision 2034 a story and a microsite that rose to the occasion. In close collaboration with our clients at U-M, we began by writing a manifesto entitled, “Look to Michigan,” that captured the voice and established cadence of the content for the site. We developed a human-centered user experience that organized the range of detailed content that needed to be communicated. And we designed a fresh new visual style that captured the motifs of ‘perspective’ and ‘excellence at scale’ without straying too far from U-M’s institutional brand. To pull users into the journey of Vision 2034, we designed and engineered an immersive hero interaction that opens the U-M campus to visitors as they scroll down the site, virtually drawing them into both the web experience itself and the important informational content contained within. The project was proudly launched to the U-M community on April 8, 2024.
Credits:
Jason Shough (Creative Director)
Jason Gonzales (Associate Creative Director-Copy)
Katie Schwendeman (Associate Creative Director-Design)
John Sokorai (Associate Creative Director-Design)
Marcus McLean (Director of Engineering)
Kaycee Woodford (UX Director)
Tim Meyer (UX Designer)
Savannah Lee Coco (Account Director)
Cassie Golda (Associate Director, Analytics Strategy)
Adam Mothersbaugh (Analyst)
Mary Beth Oakey (Director of Project Management)
Mick Sutter (Executive Creative Director)
Matt McFadden (Partner)
Elizabeth Scarborough Johnson (Founder)
Richie Hunter (CMO at University of Michigan)
Dana Elger (Communications Manager at University of Michigan)
Christopher Billick (AVP for Digital Strategy at University of Michigan)
Lex Hade (AVP, Digital)
