/Stony Brook University
Marketing and Communications

Case Study: Visually Transforming the SB Union by Showcasing the Seawolf Journey

A wall mural collage features campus photographs of students and the university mascot next to a text panel titled "CHAPTER FIVE: Seawolves Forever."
Overview

Stony Brook University’s Marketing and Communications (MARCOM) team executed a comprehensive environmental branding initiative to visually transform the SB Union. By designing and installing five large-scale wall wraps, the project showcases the "Seawolf Journey" and highlights the essential student services provided by the Office of Student Life.

 

Challenges & Opportunity

  • Project Resurrection: Restarting a dormant 2020 initiative five years later introduced significant revisions and complex historical alignment.
  • Immovable Holiday Deadline: Final production and approval windows coincided with the December holidays when staffing was highly limited, requiring installation over the winter break for maximum student impact upon return.
  • Asset Limitations: Initial low-resolution images required extensive research and asset tracking to locate original files suitable for large-scale enlargement.
  • Scope and System Hurdles: Late-stage revisions and a critical vendor upload site crash on the day of the deliverables deadline threatened the timeline.
Two side-by-side photos show a person smiling next to a grey wolf mascot in a red jersey. The person holds a purple "VOTE EARLY DAY" sign. The photo on the left includes a third person in the background.


Strategy

The design team adapted workflows and restructured project management tactics to maintain momentum despite shifting staff availability and compressed timelines.

  • Phased Approvals: Organized the massive project into smaller, chapter-based segments to secure internal approvals iteratively and optimize workflow.
  • Parallel Workflows: Initiated time-consuming image retouching and upsizing concurrently with the client's ongoing approval process to save valuable days.
  • Technical Compliance: Prioritized flawless file preparation adhering strictly to vendor specifications to eliminate production delays.


Measures of Success

Despite severe timeline and technical constraints, the project met its strict winter break deadline, drastically altering the visual landscape of a central student hub.

  • Production Volume: Five custom-engineered wall wraps designed, produced and successfully installed.
  • Internal Approvals: Managed a minimum of nine internal approval touchpoints, including schematics, chapter copy, image selections, layouts, type design and image retouching.
  • External Approvals: Coordinated a minimum of five external client approvals covering layouts, image selections and final chapter copy.
  • Project Agility: Successfully logged and executed 38 project updates to finalize the extensive environmental graphics.