Brandcenter Recruitment Brochure

WHAT IS THE BRANDCENTER?

The Brandcenter at VCU is a two-year, full-time master’s program for students interested in marketing, advertising, branding, communications, and innovation.

Brandcenter students graduate with both a Master of Science in Business/Branding and a robust and polished portfolio of creative work to hit the ground running.

OUR MISSION

To inspire and develop the next generation of creative leadership to craft solutions, advance brands, and bring new ventures to life.

CREATIVITY + BUSINESS

The Brandcenter is truly the best of both worlds—half-creative studio, half-business school.

We prioritize the development of creativity as the key to driving the future of business. We believe in the power of a great idea. That great idea, however, must have the power to produce positive business results.

We know that creativity is both a mindset and a skill that can be taught. If it already exists, we use it. If it needs to exist, we make it. If it makes the world worse, we destroy it.

Our program is filled with the spirit of innovators, pioneers, and benevolent rebels who do things in new, surprising, original, and unorthodox ways. We’ll always be a little bit rogue.

At the Brandcenter, we don’t simply teach or prepare our students for what is currently happening in the industry, we inspire them to influence and create the future of the industry.

VOTED BEST RIVER TOWN IN AMERICA by Outside Magazine

WHERE WE ARE

RVA | Richmond, VA, commonly referred to as RVA, is a historic city in the midst of a creative rebirth. It’s a destination for art lovers and foodies, and is home to a local music scene spanning all genres. Neighborhoods bustle with boutiques, restaurants, galleries, and museums.

Our program is housed in one location: our award-winning building, Mike Hughes Hall, on VCU’s Monroe Park campus in downtown Richmond.

of

Students concentrate in one of five areas of study: Art Direction, Copywriting, Strategy, Creative Brand Management, and Experience Design. Under the mentorship of professors who are industry experts, students perfect their crafts in their chosen concentrations, as well as work collaboratively across concentrations on team projects that culminate in presentations to faculty, peers, and real-world clients.

AD | ART DIRECTION

Art Direction students are visual problem solvers with a strong sense of concept and design. They participate in the development of concepts, then bring them to life with images, typography, and technology.

Careers: art director, creative director, designer at agencies; in-house creative studios at brands

CW | COPYWRITING

Copywriting students can bring life to big ideas through storytelling that is bold, honest, and engaging. They must work across a range of styles from comedy to serious prose, and from long videos you can’t stop watching to short social media messages that make you stop and think.

Careers: copywriter, creative director at agencies; in-house creative studios at brands

XD | EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Experience Design students work on creative teams to concept, design, prototype, and build brand experiences that help people and push the envelope of what is technologically possible.

Careers: Experience designer, product designer, creative technologist, interaction designer, UX designer, information architect, multimedia producer, and more

ST | STRATEGY

Strategy students are budding anthropologists who love to learn about different cultures, people, and groups; culture mavens who follow pop culture and trends; future forecasters; problem solvers; and insightful generators of ideas that inspire and move business forward.

Careers: strategist, account planner at agencies, brand consultancies, or experiential agencies or in-house at brands

CBM | CREATIVE BRAND MANAGEMENT

Creative Brand Management students use a combination of creativity and business acumen to build brands. They lead cross-functional teams to focus their efforts in ways that build brand equity and fulfill business objectives.

Careers: account manager, strategist at agencies; brand strategist at brand/innovation consultancies; marketing roles at brands

RECRUITER SESSION

BRANDCENTER GRADS

CONSULTANCIES