Social Media @ Jacobs!
At Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation, I currently work as a Creative Catalyst where I manage our social media accounts and create assets for posting!
Role
Designer + Social Media Manager
Goal
Promote Jacobs Institute as an acessible resource for all students via Instagram
Constraints
Working within academic branding + guidelines
Disciplines
Graphic Design, Branding, Social Media Strategy
Timeline
Oct. 2023- Present
Results
One of my responsibilities for Jacobs consists of creating content in the form of Reels on the Jacobs Instagram! Since my start at Jacobs in Oct 2023, the instagram account (@Jacobsdesigncal) has had:
My content has amassed a total:
300k views + engagements!
Scope
A key aspect of my role is staying current with social media trends and continuously adapting Jacobs' social media presence to be as accessible and approachable as possible for students. My goal is to create an inviting presence that encourages students to engage with Jacobs' resources, ultimately increasing the click-through rate of our linked opportunities and attendance of our events.
How might we…
How might we position Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation as a resource to all students across UC Berkeley’s campus in a fun, non-intimidating, and inviting way?
Solution:
Posts, stories, Reels to feel relatable to our audience
Consistent branding + stronger graphic design
Partner with Berkeley School of Engineering’s IG
Fun series
Tiny Mics
Instagram Takeovers
#MadeatJacobs
Reels
If you assess what our Instagram page looked like before I came onto the team, much of our content were static posts that felt distant and overly academic. I wanted to change that by showcasing our rich community at Jacobs on the Instagram! The Jacobs community is extremely tight-knit filled with student and staff who are always helping each other out. I wanted our Instagram to reflect this sentiment.
I launched a series that I called “Tiny Mics” where I would go around the Makerspace/Jacobs and interview students!
Here are some other high performing reels I created! The addition of these reels provide a place for students to learn more about what Jacobs does and take away the intimidation of the Makerspace.
Click each post watch!
Story Takeovers
I also implemented story takeovers into our social media strategy. These takeovers would involve students who work at Jacobs, use our Makerspace, and/or are extremely invested in our community.
For our first takeover, I posted my day at Jacobs withy my coworker Audrey. We answered questions about the Makerspace, how to get involved in design at Berkeley, and more! Check out my takeover on Jacobs’ highlights under Kira & Audrey!
Here are some other takeovers we did!
Some of my favorite were CalSol and Space Enterprise at Berkeley’s takeover at OpenSauce! OpenSauce is a convention that takes place in SF where many innovators, engineers, YouTubers, and more come to show off their work. When our team realized how many Berkeley students + clubs would be presenting at OpenSauce, we jumped at the opportunity to have them give us a tour of OpenSauce from a presenter’s perspective. As the initiator of this project, my contributions involved sourcing the students and coordinating times, holding a workshop on how to do a story takeover (what to and not to post) and creating assets for this takeover!
Because each club had their own supporters, we were able to convert some of their followers into Jacobs followers as well!
Branding + Graphic Design
Before
Currently
As you can see, before, our posts’ branding were not consistent and you wouldn’t be able to tell who was posting if you simply saw the photo. I helped craft what our brand looks like now - with fun colors, shapes, and strong typography. Now, when you see a Jacobs post, it feels instantly recognizable as Jacobs!