School of Design & Creative Arts
The School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University brings together research, teaching and practice across design, art and technology. Home to programmes including BA Design, BA Industrial Design and BA Product Design and Technology, the School is known for its strong industry links, hands‑on making culture and focus on producing thoughtful, well‑rounded graduates. Open days and visit days are a key moment to communicate that ethos: an opportunity for prospective students to get a feel for the space, the people and the way design is taught.
Following our earlier work visualising the School’s strategy, we were asked to reinvigorate the open day presentation slides used across the design programmes. The existing content was strong, but the experience needed refreshing – something that felt confident, contemporary and aligned with the wider identity of the School.
We built on the established visual language we had already developed. The design was deliberately pared back, using a clear grid system, a restrained black, white and grey palette, and clean, modern typography. This created a calm, structured backdrop that allowed the content to breathe and the message to land clearly, even in busy lecture theatres or informal open‑day settings.
Photography played a central role. We integrated a wide range of images showing studio life, workshops, group critiques, making, testing and exhibitions. Rather than relying on abstract descriptions of the courses, the slides showed what it actually feels like to study in the School – busy studios, physical outcomes and collaborative activity.
The layouts were designed to be flexible and reusable. Programme teams could easily update or adapt slides while maintaining consistency across courses. Clear hierarchy and spacing helped guide prospective students through course structures, facilities and outcomes without overwhelming them with information.
The final slide decks brought clarity, consistency and energy to a key recruitment moment. By aligning the open day experience with the School of Design and Creative Art’s broader visual strategy, the presentations now reinforce the same values students encounter in studios, prospectuses and online: thoughtful design, high standards and a focus on doing the fundamentals well.
