Gabriel Rodriguez

An Evolution Story

2013 – The First Brochures and Prospectuses

The evolution of a university can be traced through the progression of its brochures. In 2013, we released our initial brochures, which primarily focused on academic content and employed distinct color schemes for each degree program. These brochures were subsequently consolidated into a single folder known as the prospectus, which served as a precursor to the comprehensive general brochure.

2015 – Editorial Redesign

Through ongoing feedback from students and internal teams, we have consistently updated and optimized our materials over the years. A significant change occurred in 2015 when the prospectus was transformed to include separate brochures for each degree program. This restructuring not only reduced the size of the materials but also added a human element, empowering students and positioning them as the central figures.

Continuous benchmarking, involving the analysis of effective strategies and shortcomings in materials used by other universities and in sales contexts, has allowed us to embrace innovation in the content we offer. We introduced illustrations and infographics, resulting in a more visually appealing and easily digestible brochure for students, enhancing their overall experience.

These brochures serve as a testament to the evolution of content over the past five years, showcasing a range of elements such as student projects, career plan infographics, and much more. They reflect our commitment to providing comprehensive and relevant information that aligns with the changing needs and aspirations of our students.

2018 – Digital Redesign

Recognizing the evolving needs and preferences of our clients, we naturally transitioned our materials to a web format. This involved adapting all degree brochures into a WordPress version, allowing for enhanced accessibility and interactivity. This shift also provided opportunities to incorporate audiovisual elements, including videos and animations, which were continually updated and expanded over time.

The migration to the WordPress CMS necessitated special adaptations to ensure that the brochures were responsive across various platforms, including desktop, mobile, and other formats. This ensured that users could seamlessly access the content and navigate through the brochures regardless of the device they were using.

To cater to the specific needs of university fairs and events where Internet access might be limited, we transformed the content into an e-book format with a concise layout. This allowed our sales managers to showcase the key information and highlights of our programs without relying on internet connectivity. The e-book provided a convenient and portable resource that could be easily shared with prospective students and effectively communicated the value and offerings of IE University.

2019 – Fair Brochures

To facilitate the distribution of our brochures to offices located around the world, we created a scaled-down version that summarized the essential academic content. Despite the reduction in size, we ensured that the brochures still captured the authentic voice of our students, maintaining the personalized and engaging approach that resonates with our target audience. This adaptation allowed us to effectively share key information about our programs with international offices and reach a wider audience of prospective students.

2021 – Paperless: New Digital Brochures

The introduction of our paperless initiative marked a significant shift towards prioritizing digital brochures. Recognizing the ubiquitous presence of smartphones in today’s world, we redefined our strategy to consolidate all versions of our brochures into a unified digital format. This new approach, optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, enabled us to effectively engage with our target audience and streamline the process of updating our materials.

With the digitization of our brochures, our focus shifted towards preserving the existing content while adapting it to align with the evolving consumption habits and needs of the market. The redesign process centered around leveraging digital platforms and technologies to enhance accessibility and user experience. The digital brochure can now be easily accessed and read across various platforms, ensuring seamless engagement for prospective students. Additionally, we provided a downloadable PDF version, granting students and parents the flexibility to save, print, or retain a copy as desired.

By embracing digitalization and evolving our brochure strategy, we have not only embraced the modern means of communication but also embraced sustainability by reducing our reliance on printed materials. This transition has allowed us to deliver our content effectively, efficiently, and in a manner that aligns with the preferences and convenience of our target audience.

Having a single responsive version means materials will always be up-todate, and available anytime, anywhere in the world.

The implementation of these new versions of our brochures has brought about several notable achievements:

• Universal Compatibility: The introduction of a single version has enabled our brochures to adapt seamlessly to various display platforms, ensuring accessibility across different devices.
• Targeted Design: By focusing on the needs and preferences of our target audience, specifically Generation Z, we have created designs that resonate with them and align with the devices they commonly use.
• Enhanced Accessibility: The digital tools incorporated in our brochures are accessible on any device, eliminating the need for multiple formats and ensuring a consistent user experience.
• Consistent Branding: The use of a universal format for our brochures helps maintain continuity in our marketing approach, reinforcing our brand identity across different channels and touchpoints.
• Sustainability Alignment: The shift towards digital brochures aligns with the sustainability strategy of IE University, reducing our reliance on printed materials and promoting environmental responsibility.
• Streamlined Updates: The digital format allows for quick and efficient updates, ensuring that outdated brochures are no longer distributed across various locations.
• Integration and Measurement: The integration of our brochures into a unified web ecosystem enables us to measure performance, track user behavior and traffic, and facilitate innovation and upgrade cycles, ensuring continuous improvement and effectiveness in our marketing efforts.

Overall, these achievements demonstrate our commitment to digital transformation, meeting the requirements of various events, schools, and our own sustainability goals, while simultaneously enhancing user experience, agility, and performance measurement.

Research of How Potential Undergraduate Students Consume Commercial and Informative University Content

The digital revolution has significantly reshaped content consumption preferences and habits, particularly among Gen Z. The widespread use of mobile phones and screens has revolutionized how teenagers search, navigate, read, and process information. For IE University, this presented a crucial challenge: How can we adapt our commercial materials to make a maximum impact in a digital-first world?

This project represents the culmination of many years of constant reinvention, iteration, and evolution. Through ongoing research and a deep understanding of our customers’ needs, habits, and behaviors over the past decade, we have transformed IE University’s materials from traditional print booklets to fully digital and responsive brochures optimized for seamless navigation across all screen sizes.

Here’s a Summary of What We Did: