Stanford University

Unifying tradition (foundation) and depth (human) across an entire institution.

Merging decades of prestige and tradition into a trackable, and human-centered brand, representing its vibrant and unique community.

Brand strategy
Advertising campaigns
Videography 
Sound + music design
Brand refresh
Ambient advertising
Icon development
Brand Architecture
Social Media Strategy
Photography
Copywriting
Experiential Events
Website Design
Motion Design
Internal Brand Identity
Print Design

The Brief

Stanford came to us to translate decades of prestige and tradition into a brand refresh that felt relevant, alive, and aspirational for students, staff, faculty, alumni, and global audiences alike.

THE Challenge

Change is hard to implement across an entire institution and everyone has an opinion about it. Universities often look and feel the same: formal, distant, and unrelatable. If it didn't connect, it wouldn’t inspire the wide audiences that are ultimately the voice of the Stanford brand.

Our Approach

We approached this new era like a new chapter in life, rather than an institutional rebrand. We knew our biggest allies were the people behind the scenes who needed to feel seen and heard. From improving directories and wayfinding across campuses, to experiential events, AI initiatives, and award-winning videos each choice had intention and drew inspiration from the very humans Stanford attracts.

Activated narratives into action to represent real students, faculty, and alumni experiences, highlighting the individuals who make Stanford unique
Built visuals that feel dynamic, are accessible, and captured the vibrant diverse campus and its groundbreaking initiatives
Hosted workshops with staff and faculty to educate and collaborate with the updated brand rollout

The Result

Stanford’s brand goals went from aspirational to tangible, trackable, and human-centered, representing its vibrant and unique community.

A 76% increase in website traffic in the first few weeks
Increased engagement across digital platforms and events
Materials feel alive, not static, giving function and purpose to all communications
Departments engaged with new tools, templates, and resources solidifying continuity within the brand

“Brand-ish helped the Stanford Accelerator for Learning develop from an emergent collection of exciting research projects to a brand with a fresh, but professional look and feel, giving us legitimacy with our key audiences as our reach expanded. The team at Brand-ish is efficient, whip-smart, highly skilled, and always takes the time to not only understand our brand, but uplevel it in ways we hadn’t even thought of.”

—ISABEL SACKS
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Minerva University