New Talent: Syracuse University Modernizes Nationally Recognized Brands

Syracuse University propagates excellence in corporate culture with their tantalizing student work

The identity of a corporation is its biggest selling point. It’s the company’s cultural presence in society that often makes its products become a big seller. Whether it’s Coca-Cola’s ideological image as the official Christmas soft drink or Geico’s promise to save you 15% or more on car insurance, many corporations have been able to successfully make customers make their company synonymous with an idea or jingle. The students and professors of Syracuse University have taken that approach to these inspiring works.

Professor Mel White and student Alexis Watson’s FedEx Cares campaign (ABOVE) utilizes this belief by combining FedEx’s expedited shipping techniques with humanitarian aid. By “demonstrating the ways in which they partner with various organizations to provide natural disaster relief through their FedEx Cares program,” White and Watson have been able to elevate the corporate ethos beyond revenue and profit margins to a modernist selling point that not only allows people to donate to their cause, but also be more inclined to use their services. The gold-winning campaign is wonderfully executed, showcasing FedEx’s “proven track record [that] deserves to be recognized.”

Similarly beguiling is professor Kevin O’Neill and student Yunxuan Wu’s work for Tide, entitled It’s That Simple (ABOVE, LEFT). The gold-winning whimsical approach notes that Tide is able to remove a stain as easy as a sticker, a quality that elevates the company’s abilities to near magical mysticism. Professor Kevin O’Neill also mentored student Edan Michener to create Lacoste’s fictional Leaving Movies Early (ABOVE, RIGHT) campaign, which suggests that the allure of their cologne is so intense that moviegoers will forgo the film itself to go spend more time together privately. It’s funny, silly, and light-hearted, just the kind of approach that Lacoste would perhaps like to explore.

Be sure to submit your work to Graphis’ Annual New Talent Competition before the looming October 9 deadline! Winners will have the opportunity to see their work published on our website, blog, newsletter, and social media platforms.