Context + challenge

In the context of the German Excellence Strategy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena has applied for "University of Excellence" status to serve as a regionally rooted and globally networked catalyst for innovation. The central challenge this application addresses is the growing public skepticism toward science and increasing societal conflicts, which the university aims to overcome by actively fostering social responsibility, open dialogue, and trust between academia and the broader community. 

Solution

Conceiving and executing a university-wide participation strategy and communication campaign to increase support for the university and its excellence status, built on local credibility. Providing holistic support in the application project from design expertise for the application document until the expert committee's two-day on-site visit in June 2026, showcasing the university's excellence and regional integration.

Impact

Both the content and the out-of-home (OOH) and digital campaigns generated high awareness within Jena and were met with a consistently positive response from the local community. The selection of the campaign faces credibly conveyed core values such as diversity, approachability, and de-hierarchization. The visual langauge simultaneously established a unique identifier and added value for brand recognition, from the "University of Excellence" application to digital content and physical merch.