Communication tools of the HTW Chur in a new look

In fall 2016, the design of the Graubünden University of Applied Sciences was redesigned from scratch. The applications were developed and implemented by Mind. The basis of the redesign was the revision of the existing study brochures. Surveys of students revealed that these brochures are an important business card for the university and a decision-making aid when choosing a course of study. The existing layout, however, was already several years old and no longer suited the HTW Chur and the changed communication requirements.

As part of an ideas competition, various agencies were invited to develop a rough concept for the layout and design of the brochures. Mind, design and digital agency from Winterthur, was awarded the contract to implement their concept. An important element of this design concept is formed by the so-called "patterns" - graphic patterns, which vary according to the course of study.

The information brochures are mainly displayed at trade fairs and events or handed out directly to prospective students. An appealing, eye-catching appearance is of particular importance in order to stand out from the sheer volume of educational offerings. The course-related patterns are printed on the front page with a UV coating over the images. This creates both a visual and tactile experience.

An important concern of the new appearance was that prospective students should be able to find relevant information about the study program quickly and that the study programs can be compared with each other. Images and infographics therefore play an important role and are used in various places.

The new design was also to be adapted for the web. A microsite was created for each study program, which is a digital image of the respective study brochure. The same design and content elements are used. In addition, the pages can be enriched with further multimedia content, such as videos, image galleries, downloads, links and more, thus offering real added value for visitors.

Further adaptations for various purposes followed. These range from handy information flyers and advertisements to billboard advertising and video animations. The new design concept is thus used wherever the HTW Chur communicates.

Responsible for Mind: Marcel Debrunner (concept, design and implementation); Andreas Keller (web development). Responsible at HTW Chur: Orlando Thomet (Head of Marketing and Communications).