Brandcenter faculty and students shared branding and storytelling expertise with participants of The Collegiate School’s International Emerging Leaders Conference (IELC.) The conference, which is in its 14th year, fosters collaboration among high school students from around the world and seeks to acquaint bright young minds with a skillset highly valued by social entrepreneurs worldwide.
IELC Participants from China, Ghana, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Spain, and the U.S. explored the 2024 theme: “Designing a Sustainable Future.” During the in-person program, participants worked in international design teams to tackle nation-specific environmental challenges. Each group worked as a team to devise a potential solution, all the way from idea to design pitch, learning from or being mentored by local organizations, scholars and experts along the way.
Brandcenter faculty acted as subject matter experts to help student teams prepare for their Design Pitches. Faculty members KT Schaeffer (Art Direction, 2001) and Berwyn Hung led the student groups through workshops to help them define a brand for their idea and tell the story of their solution. Schaeffer walked through the basics of branding and how to approach defining their brand’s values, voice, and visual design. Hung shared examples of student work tackling social-cause related projects, and they both acted as consultants for the teams as they rolled up their sleeves to create a visual identity for their own idea.
Brandcenter alum Shaunda Lambert Gary (Strategy, 2023) shared advice on how to present their ideas through storytelling, while a current Brandcenter student team shared a recent campaign and answered questions. The groups then had a few hours to work before presenting their pitches at Collegiate that evening.
The event provided an opportunity for Brandcenter to engage students in real-world problem-solving through the lens of branding. By combining creativity with purpose, participants not only gained valuable skills but also a deeper understanding of how powerful storytelling can drive positive change.
