Social Media Ad Campaign for The Chronicle of Higher Education's Hire Platform
For The Chronicle of Higher Education's Hire platform, I was tasked with designing a series of digital ads to promote their job board services. The objective was to drive engagement, encourage employers and job seekers in higher education to use the platform, and ultimately increase traffic to the Hire job board. The challenge was to create ads that resonated with a professional, educated audience while maintaining a modern, digital-first feel that aligned with The Chronicle’s brand identity.
Project Overview
Client: The Chronicle of Higher Education – Hire Platform
Industry: Higher Education & Recruitment
Role: Senior Graphic Designer
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma
Project Type: Digital Ad Campaign Design
Duration: 1 month
Challenge:
The key challenge in this project was determining the most effective visual style to capture attention while staying aligned with the brand’s identity. Through A/B testing, I experimented with two distinct approaches—illustrations versus photography—to see which would resonate better with the audience. I needed to design ads that conveyed the platform’s modern, digital-first nature, while also maintaining a professional and clean aesthetic.
Solution
After testing both approaches, I ultimately chose to develop illustrated ads as the primary visual medium. The illustrations provided the creative freedom needed to represent the modern, dynamic nature of the Hire platform while keeping the design clean and professional. I used a color palette of blue tones and incorporated simple, yet striking visual elements to communicate Hire’s benefits—such as access to a top-tier talent pool and seamless recruitment processes. Additionally, I included clear, actionable calls to action to encourage users to engage with the platform.
Results
The use of illustrations resulted in a visually engaging ad campaign that stood out across digital platforms. Through A/B testing, the illustration-based ads outperformed the photography-based ones, leading to increased user engagement and higher click-through rates for the Hire platform. The campaign successfully conveyed the core message of Hire’s offerings while maintaining a professional and modern tone.
Key Takeaways
Design Approach: A/B testing revealed that illustrations resonated more with the target audience than photography, allowing for greater creative freedom and better engagement.
Successful Results: The campaign led to higher engagement and click-through rates, demonstrating the effectiveness of the visual approach in driving traffic to the platform.
Refinement of Design Process: Through testing and iteration, I was able to create a design solution that was not only visually compelling but also aligned with the platform’s strategic goals.
