The Background

IADT needed a campaign that would challenge perceptions, broaden awareness of its course offering and drive consideration ahead of the 2026–27 CAO intake. While widely recognised for art, design and film, awareness of courses across business, humanities, technology and psychology remained low. The challenge was to reposition IADT as a future-facing institution where creativity shapes every discipline.

The Impact

The campaign delivered the strongest recruitment performance in IADT's 30-year history:

• 25,000 landing page views against a target of 16,000
• 15% increase in total CAO mentions
• 10% increase in first-preference applications
• Highest CAO performance in IADT's history
• Open Day attendance increased by 20%

The Idea

Insight
Creativity is often understood too narrowly as something connected only to art or personal expression. But the world students are entering increasingly demands creative thinking across every discipline. The campaign needed to reposition creativity as a future-facing capability: a way of thinking that shapes careers across design, media, business, technology, humanities and psychology.

Open your mind. Create your future.
A platform designed to challenge assumptions about IADT and invite students to see creativity as a mindset, not a subject.

The campaign reframed IADT as a place where ambitious, future-focused thinkers can build careers across design, media, business, technology, humanities and psychology.

The Execution

Art Direction
A humble classroom chair became the campaign’s visual signature — bold, ownable and instantly recognisable in IADT orange. Combined with elevated portraiture, clean environments and confident typography, the art direction created a contemporary, unmistakably IADT visual world.

Real students. Real stories.
Real IADT students sat at the heart of the campaign.Portraits, documentary-style photography and student-led video content brought authenticity to every touchpoint - capturing collaboration, individuality and campus life in a way that felt honest and relatable. The result was a broader, more inclusive picture of who belongs at IADT.

An integrated, collaborative campaign
OOH built visibility. Radio reassured parents and guidance counsellors. Social brought authenticity through student-led storytelling. And the landing page connected courses, student stories and graduate outcomes in one cohesive campaign experience.

The campaign was delivered through a close collaboration between Red Dog, Good as Gold and a wider team of specialist partners. While maintaining a consistent strategic and creative vision throughout, the work evolved across photography, film, social content, motion design and digital experiences. Good as Gold's student-led content and video storytelling helped bring the platform to life online, creating an authentic and connected experience across every channel.

Through a distinctive visual system, authentic student voices and a connected multi-channel campaign, the work broadened perceptions, strengthened consideration and helped a new generation imagine their future at IADT.