A collaboration with Caribou Coffee challenged design students to expand their skills and apply them to a real-world project. Over the fall 2023 semester, graphic design students in Professor Sauman Chu’s GDES 3352 Identity and Symbols class created a video to promote Caribou Coffee to potential franchisees at conferences and tradeshows.
"We work hard in the Graphic Design Program to connect our students with projects that will prepare them for their future careers. Teaming up with Caribou Coffee was the perfect opportunity for students to grow and challenge themselves at both personal and professional levels. In addition, I think the partnership provided the Caribou Coffee team with a refreshing perspective in promoting their brand," explained Chu.
At the beginning of the semester, students were sorted into groups of three or four. Each group was given footage shot by Caribou and asked to create a two-minute "sizzle reel" that the company could use to showcase the benefits of becoming a franchisee. A key project learning goal was for students to learn and understand Caribou’s brand and identity so that they could successfully represent both in the final videos.
Sarah Cohen’s (Graphic Design) group focused first on determining what emotion they wanted to inspire with their video. "We wanted our video to be energetic, fun, playful, and exciting! For us, that drove a lot of the content decisions," explained Cohen. Cohen's group researched sizzle reels and promotional videos to learn what type of content to emphasize and worked out storyboards. "We needed to evaluate what we felt people at the trade shows would want to see."
Across the different groups, the students made sure to center both Caribou’s audience and its goal for the video. "My group started by going through footage [provided to us by Caribou] and taking note of what could be used," said Ruth Hoban (Graphic Design). “We referred back to the goal, which was to get attention at a promotional fair, and thought about what people would be looking for in that situation. This included things like using non-grating music for presenters, making sure text was displayed long enough, as well as specific creative choices Caribou required."
For many students, the project introduced them to software they hadn’t worked with before and challenged them to shift their perspective to a group they were unfamiliar with. "Instead of putting ourselves in the position of potential customers, we had to think about what would attract future franchisees," said Quynh Pham (Graphic Design). "This is an audience I had never worked with before, so it was challenging. But by embodying Caribou’s work culture and overall message, we were able to create a representation of their company that would act like a conversation starter."
The semester-long project culminated with a final presentation and critique by Caribou Coffee executives who visited the students in class to watch them present their videos.
"It was a fantastic experience to see how each of the students told the story of Caribou Coffee through the creation of their Sizzle Reel production. From start to finish, it was evident how seriously the students took their project. We are so appreciative of the thoughtfulness they took; the professionalism; and the collaboration. The Caribou Coffee leadership team had the opportunity to have a 'watch party' alongside the students and their families at the end of class…it was a fantastic end to the term. We would love to work with the University of Minnesota again in the future and want to thank each team for the time they took working with us," said Theresa Vitale, director of business development & strategy at Caribou Coffee.
“It was thrilling from start to finish,” declared Hoban. “The possibility of our video being used by a big brand like Caribou is an ego boost and super exhilarating. Seeing our video in its final stages is gratifying, especially knowing how much work we put into it!”
All of the students in the class received Caribou Coffee gift cards while the video that received the highest marks will be used at trade shows moving forward.
A recipient of the 2023 U40 Alumni Leader Award, Patrick Puckett has been a longstanding advocate for the University of Minnesota, the College of Design, and the important connections design students make that lead to future career success. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Puckett carved out a path in user experience (UX) design. In this interview, Puckett talks about his current work as an experience designer, the skills it takes to be successful in the field, and shares advice for current design students.
In the spring of 2018 Teaching Specialist Bill Moran (Graphic Design) asked his students to design fabric wraps for the concrete pillars lining the basement of McNeal Hall. The project was a success, and it prompted Moran to ask himself, “Why not try this in the McNeal Hall Atrium?” The idea stuck with him and finally came to fruition in June 2022 when Moran solicited help from alumni, students, staff of the Goldstein Museum of Design, and received funding from the college’s Kusske Design Initiative to make his idea a reality.
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