- Education
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Introducing the University of California’s First Independent Music School.
- Research
- Strategy
- Brand Identity
- UI / UX
- Visual Design
- Art Direction
- Creative Production
- Development
Defining The Future
of Music Education.
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.
The visual language of the site introduced a framing mechanism inspired by the architecture of the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center.
More than music.
Finding your voice
at UCLA.
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.
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 differentiation and growth.
Capturing UCLA’s
Diverse Offerings
and 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 the diversity of offerings across the school.
