Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design

Reigniting a Creative Brand to Drive Enrollment Growth

Website | Landing Pages | Digital | Video | Collateral

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) is where creativity comes to life. With a beautiful, historic campus located in Denver, Colorado, as well as their online degree programs, RMCAD has been transforming artistic talent into careers since 1963.

Over the years, we’ve collaborated with RMCAD to share their incredible story of educating, guiding, and encouraging their student’s artistic journey. However, our goal was to add an entirely new level of energy, complexity, and imagination.  We wanted to really push the limits and truly capture the message of “where creativity comes to life”.

"Best of Interactive" Addy Award Winner

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Website

Gold Addy Award Winner

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Website

Gold Telly, Gold Addy & Gold EduAd Award Winner

RMCAD "Explore Creatively" Video Campaign

Gold Addy & Silver EduAd Award Winner

Single Unit Packaging - RMCAD “Future in Making” Backpack Kit

Best Of Addy Award Winner

Best of Digital for RMCAD "Explore Creatively" Video Campaign

Silver EduAd Award Winner

Sizzle Reel Video

Best of Film, Video & Sound Addy Award Winner

“Bring Your Creativity to Life” Video Campaign

Silver Telly, Gold Addy & Gold EduAd Award Winner

“Bring Your Creativity to Life” Video Campaign

Gold Addy Award Winner

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Website

Silver Addy & Bronze EduAd Award Winner

Open House Video

Silver Addy Award Winner

Student Orientation Video

Gold EduAd Award Winner

RMCAD Online Orientation Video

RMCAD skateboard graphic design

Objective

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) partnered with Celsius Marketing & Interactive to revitalize its brand story and strengthen connections with prospective students and their families. While the institution had a strong reputation and a unique position in the creative education space, years of incremental marketing efforts had left the brand feeling fragmented and increasingly similar to competitors.

RMCAD needed a strategic partner to help redefine its identity, increase awareness, improve lead-generation efficiency, and create a more compelling enrollment story that reflects the energy, imagination, and transformative power of a creative education. The goals were clear:

  • Increase student leads and applications
  • Reduce cost per lead (CPL) across channels
  • Improve enrollment and campus population
  • Strengthen institutional relevance and differentiation
  • Build an emotionally resonant brand that would inspire prospective students and families

Strategy

Celsius developed a comprehensive higher education marketing strategy grounded in research, audience insights, and competitive analysis.

The team conducted a full audit of RMCAD’s brand presence, enrollment marketing efforts, messaging framework, and digital ecosystem. Through stakeholder interviews, audience research, and market analysis, Celsius identified a critical opportunity: prospective students weren’t simply looking for a degree. They were looking for a place where creativity could thrive, where artistic passion could become a career, and where they could discover their unique voice. This insight became the foundation for a new brand platform centered on the transformative power of creativity. The strategy focused on:

  • Defining a differentiated brand position within the competitive art and design education landscape
  • Developing audience-specific messaging for prospective students and parents
  • Creating a unified enrollment marketing ecosystem across channels
  • Increasing emotional connection while maintaining a strong career-outcomes narrative
  • Building a modern creative identity that reflected the energy and ambition of the RMCAD experience

The resulting brand promise celebrated creativity as a force that transforms ideas into action, passion into purpose, and talent into opportunity.

Solution

Celsius translated the new strategy into a fully integrated, multi-channel enrollment marketing campaign designed to reach prospective students throughout their decision-making journey. The campaign introduced a bold creative platform built around the idea that creativity is more than self-expression. It is a catalyst for transformation. At the center of the campaign was the positioning statement:

"Where Creativity Comes to Life." This message reflected the RMCAD experience, where students develop not only artistic skills, but also confidence, vision, and professional readiness.

The execution included: Brand & Creative Development

  • Refined brand messaging architecture
  • New creative campaign concepts and visual identity
  • Audience-focused storytelling and value propositions
  • Enrollment-focused content strategy

Digital Marketing

  • Paid search campaigns
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Digital display advertising
  • Social media advertising and content

Video & Content Production

  • Brand storytelling videos
  • Student-focused campaign content
  • Enrollment nurturing assets
  • Creative-focused promotional materials

Recruitment Marketing

  • Lead generation campaigns
  • Inquiry nurturing communications
  • Conversion-focused digital experiences
  • Enrollment funnel optimization

Every touchpoint was designed to communicate a consistent message: RMCAD is a place where creative talent is cultivated, challenged, and transformed into meaningful careers.

RMCAD music production video screenshot
RMCAD Photography & Fine Art video screen grab
RMCAD online music production program video screen grab

The RMCAD team was beyond excited and ready for a campaign that takes the brand to a new creative level. Each spot had unique visual aesthetics in the motion graphics and animation to represent the degree programs individually.

Screen grab from RMCAD general programs video
RMCAD Animation program video screen grab

For example, to showcase RMCAD’s Animation program we featured a RMCAD student as he’s transformed into a sketch becoming the hero in his own story battling a fire breathing dragon. This shows off the 2d/3d animation process beautifully in an engaging way.

For their Game Art degree program, we get to jump from a first-person sci-fi protagonist to spaceship shooter flying out of a computer monitor seeing students collaborating on their next game.

The Creative Vision campaign also included a spot that showcased an elaborate montage through a whimsical visual montage between the artistic disciplines. We emphasized student diversity and interaction with other programs. 

The campaign focused on the most exciting part of being a creative person. Creating.

Key Outcomes

The revitalized brand positioned RMCAD as a more distinctive and compelling choice within the highly competitive art and design education marketplace.

By aligning brand strategy, creative storytelling, and enrollment marketing under a unified vision, Celsius strengthened awareness, improved engagement, and created a more emotionally resonant connection with prospective students. The campaign successfully:

  • Elevated brand differentiation within the creative education sector
  • Strengthened enrollment marketing performance across channels
  • Improved engagement with prospective students and families
  • Created a more cohesive and recognizable institutional identity
  • Reinforced RMCAD's position as a leading destination for aspiring artists, designers, and creative professionals

Most importantly, the work transformed the conversation from simply earning a degree to discovering a future fueled by creativity.

At RMCAD, creativity isn't just taught. It's brought to life.

Ready for a Different Degree of Thinking?