Case Study

Defining The Future of Music Education

UCLA
Herb Alpert
School of Music

OVERVIEW

Introducing the University of California’s First Independent Music School

In 2016, UCLA established its 12th professional school, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The School of Music brought independent yet complementary departments and programs in Ethnomusicology, Global Jazz Studies, Music, and Musicology together in one place. 

To capture this transition and introduce the world to the School of Music, UCLA partnered with Kley to transition 15 disparate department and program websites into a single brand identity and experience that conveyed its legacy and prestige alongside a bigger ambition: to introduce the world to a new model of music education.

We worked closely with the School of Music’s faculty, staff and students to gain insight into their first-person experience—one that felt radically different from more traditional music schools. In-depth interviews revealed that high schoolers who have their eyes set on attending a music school, will consider UCLA’s School of Music alongside established leaders in music education, such as The Juilliard School or the New England Conservatory of Music.

What set UCLA apart from these schools was its proximity to the epicenter of contemporary music. Inspired by iconoclastic ethos, we anchored the brand around a rich visual experience that embodied the spirit of newness and nowness.

Brand & Marketing Audits
Industry Trends & Insights
Consumer Insights
Brand Positioning
Visual Identity System
Brand Messaging
Content Strategy
Art Direction
Photography
Illustration
UX/UI Design
‍Front End Development
Back End Development

Visual Identity

More than Music

Our team created the new visual identity with the foundational UCLA brand as well as traits that speak to the uniqueness of the Herb Alpert School of Music. A key element of the school was the incredible architecture of the new building. Taking cues from this structure, we used the shapes found throughout the building as a framing mechanism for photography. This introduced a new visual element specific to the School of Music, surrounded by color and type that is recognizably UCLA.

IMMERSIVE WEBSITE

Uniquely Los Angeles

The holistic approach to the new site expressed a clear and energizing departure from the expected, providing UCLA and The Herb Alpert School of Music with a strong platform for growth and differentiation.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Capturing UCLA’s
Distinct Offerings
& Diverse Culture

Kley established a proprietary photography style inspired by the boldness of Pop Art. From storyboards all the way through casting, production design, and photography direction, we captured a series of hero imagery that highlights the diversity of students and of offerings across the school.

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