In 2004, a new dean arrived at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. While the School has long had a very strong reputation among its peers, the new dean was determined to make a great place even better.

What began that year as a complete brand overhaul has evolved into a robust ongoing partnership crafting communications materials of all kinds. Highlights from this client relationship include:

TOKY crafted the first truly unified identity and messaging system for the Brown School, built upon in-depth qualitative research and interviews with key stakeholders. Our brand promises and tag line (“Leading Knowledge, Leading Change”) set the school apart from the competition, while painting a more accurate portrait of the School’s vision. The identity system, meanwhile, worked well within the University’s own graphic standards, while subtly helping to distill the long and unwieldy formal name down to the simple “Brown School.”

Through this process, TOKY helped the School identify and market to a critical new audience: well-educated second-career transfers interested in leading organizations from the top and not just doing field social work.

Following the development of a new brand platform, TOKY created an integrated suite of communications materials, including a brand new glossy publication (Social Impact) that quickly earned national acclaim, a dynamic new website, a Viewbook, and more. Our in-house photographer shot the portraits of faculty and students used throughout these many marketing pieces.

Our staff continues to play a key role in the Brown School’s communications efforts, strategizing on new initiatives and bringing out new projects for their growing audiences on and off campus.

“The TOKY team has played a key role in driving the creative strategy for the Brown School. Working collaboratively with us, they designed and produced a centerpiece publication that not only is on brand but has effectively differentiated us from our competitors. Our constituents frequently say that Social Impact is not only visually stunning, but one of the few publications they read ‘cover-to-cover.’”
Ellen Rostand, Former Assistant Dean for Communications, George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis; Current Assistant Vice Chancellor, Marketing and Brand Strategy, Office of Public Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis