Client Seijo Gakuen Education Institute
From “Building a Donation Website” to “Building a Brand People Want to Support” — A Complete Website Renewal Creates a Stronger Connection with Alumni and Parents
A Request for a Donation Website Becomes an Opportunity to Rebuild the Seijo Gakuen Brand
As Japan’s declining birthrate continues to reshape the environment surrounding educational institutions, Seijo Gakuen was looking for ways to increase donations to support its activities.
The initial request was to create a donation website that would make it easier for people to understand how and where to donate. But simply making the donation process easier would not, on its own, inspire people to take action.
What was really needed was a brand experience that would give alumni, parents, and members of the local community an opportunity to rediscover what makes Seijo Gakuen special and feel that they wanted to continue supporting it.
K&L reframed the challenge from “building a donation website” to “communicating what makes Seijo Gakuen worth supporting.” This led to a complete renewal of the school’s website.
Challenge & Approach
Challenge
Bringing together everything that makes Seijo unique, from kindergarten through university
From kindergarten through university, Seijo Gakuen has nurtured and passed down a distinctive educational philosophy and culture over the years.
Yet the school’s strengths were spread across a wide range of information, from its educational philosophy and history to its campus environment and the unique initiatives of each school. As a result, it was difficult to convey what makes Seijo Gakuen special as a whole.
The school also has a diverse range of stakeholders: alumni, parents of current students, prospective families, and members of the local community. Each of these has a different relationship with the institution, but simply providing each audience with relevant information was not enough. The website needed to communicate the shared values and atmosphere that connect the entire institution.
Approach
Transforming the atmosphere of Seijo Gakuen into a brand experience
Through market and competitor research, we identified and redefined the values that set Seijo Gakuen apart. We then created an information structure that brings together its philosophy, history, integrated educational approach, and the distinctive qualities of each school into one cohesive story.
For the photography, we worked with a photographer known for a soft, film-based aesthetic. Rather than focusing solely on polished images of the facilities, the images captured show details that bring the school vibrantly to life: sunlight filtering through the campus, students’ natural expressions, and the connections between people. These images effectively convey the atmosphere of Seijo Gakuen in ways that words alone cannot.
The website was designed not simply as a place to find information, but as a brand experience where visitors can discover, or rediscover, what makes Seijo Gakuen special. Responsive design and the introduction of a CMS also provide a flexible foundation for sharing the school’s activities on an ongoing basis.
Rather than asking for donations outright, the approach was to first help people discover the school, connect with its values, and develop reasons to support it. The result is a foundation for long-term brand building that goes beyond fundraising, strengthening both student recruitment efforts and relationships with alumni.
Planning
- Market and competitor research
- Brand communication strategy
- Website strategy
- UX and information architecture
- Content planning
- Photography planning
Execution
- School website development
- Photography and creative direction
- Content production
- Responsive design
- WebRelease CMS implementation
- Website management and operation