During my nearly three years at mStoner, I’ve already had the privilege of working with 15 education institutions. I am inspired by the collaboration with project teams at each of these colleges, universities, and independent schools. For this post, I randomly chose three of them to write about. This video offers proof of the randomness of my picks:
- George School
- American University of Paris
- Capital University
George School
Located near Philadelphia, George School is a Quaker, coed boarding and day school for students in grades 9 through 12. An mStoner client since 2007, the team at George School is warm, collaborative, and committed. Last year, I was involved in the strategy work for the George School campaign website, Fit for the Future. I was inspired by our clients at George School because they understand who they are, and who they are not. As we planned for the design and content for Fit for the Future, we incorporated their Quaker heritage and their whimsical brand. Also, because we have worked with George School for seven years, the mStoner team is essentially an extension of the internal team. George School takes a project-based approach to the enhancement of their digital presence and has systematically changed it to take advantage of new tools and options. I can’t wait to see what they do next!
More about mStoner’s work with George School:
- Case study about the website relaunch
- Congratulations to George School on Site Launch
- George School Wins CASE Gold
American University of Paris
Located in Paris, France, the American University of Paris offers an American-style education in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. I led the mStoner team that partnered with AUP to relaunch aup.edu. I’ve written before about the over-the-top collaboration we had with the internal team — time zones aside! The inspirational aspect of our work with AUP was that the team had a clear sense of the story to be told. Not only did they value the essence of the AUP brand, they were focused on figuring out how each and every element of their new site could serve many audiences, while reinforcing AUP as “at home in the world.” Every time I look at their site, I am inspired by their success.
More about mStoner’s work with AUP:
Capital University
Located in Bexley, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus), Capital University is a comprehensive, independent university founded in 1830. I am currently leading the web relaunch project for Capital; we have completed the web strategy phase of the project and are in the midst of the design work. What inspires me in our work with Capital is that the internal team thinks big. The discussions we are having about interface design and user experience are well beyond what works. Instead, the team has a vision for what’s possible. I don’t know what yet, but I know it will be awesome. Stay tuned.
Hating to leave anyone out, I wrap up this post with a few tweet-like descriptions of the other 12 inspiring client project teams I’ve worked with. (An asterisk denotes an in-flight project.)
- College of Idaho: Comprehensive, looking ahead, and planning for success
- Columbia University: Thoughtful, sharp, and focused on partnership
- Fordham University*: Visionary, collaborative, and strategic approach
- Gettysburg College*: Gracious, reflective, and focused on excellence
- North Carolina A&T: Pumped up, committed, and never afraid of hard work
- Paul Smith’s College: Aware, know what they want and they make it happen
- SUNY*: Ahead of the curve, risk takers, and smart
- University of Arkansas: Dedicated, enthusiastic, proud, and talented
- University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences: Open, goal-oriented, friendly
- Webster University: Motivated, strong leadership, and ready for action
- Whittier College: Intuitive, contemporary, and team-oriented
- Wilfrid Laurier University*: Engaged, vision for excellence, and action oriented listeners and planners
Inspiration = Stimulation of the mind/emotions to a high level of feeling/activity.
What does it for you?