Live Graphic Recording for On-Campus Student Engagement — Old Dominion University (ODU)
Old Dominion University (ODU)’s admissions team wanted more than a table and a stack of brochures. They needed a human, interactive moment—something that would stop students mid-stride, invite quick participation, and capture authentic reasons students choose ODU.
Using live graphic recording for a higher education campus activation, ImageThink helped ODU spark strong on-site participation and create a visual asset the admissions team continued using after the event.
The Situation: An Admissions Event Moment That Needed to Feel Human
Admissions events can easily blur together—especially on a busy campus where students are moving between classes, meetings, and commitments. ODU wanted an experiential engagement element that would:
- Draw students in during a fast-moving flow of campus activity
- Make participation easy (even for students who only had a minute)
- Reflect a wide range of backgrounds, motivations, and identities across the ODU community
What ImageThink Did: Live Event Illustration Built From Student Voices
ImageThink provided a social listening on-site using a simple, high-throughput approach designed for speed, clarity, and volume:
- ODU facilitators invited students to share quick responses on note cards
- An ImageThink visual strategist translated those written comments into a cohesive visual story in real time
- As responses stacked up, the team kept the flow moving—capturing more voices without losing readability
The result wasn’t just a beautiful mural. It made the experience legible—students could see their community’s answers taking shape as the day unfolded. This is the power of graphic recording for universities: participation in the moment, plus a clear communication asset afterward.
The Experience: Students Wanted to See Themselves in the Story
ODU described the activation as “visually summarizing our day” and “visually summarizing why students are picking ODU.”
Engagement exceeded expectations:
- Facilitators reported that most students were happy to participate
- The live graphic recording drew compliments throughout the event
- Students were excited to find their idea represented—sometimes requesting specific majors or niche details to appear
Importantly, the timing worked out naturally: as the event wound down, the mural reached a clear finish—no awkward lull and no last-minute scramble.
The Impact: A Visual Asset That Kept Working After the Event
The value didn’t stop when the event ended. ODU repurposed the final digital file into:
- A post-event postcard mailed to attendees (so students could literally see the mural again in their mailbox)
- Social content leading into the May 1 decision deadline, inviting more students to respond to the same prompt: “Why ODU?”
That’s the power of live graphic recording as a visual strategy tool: it sparks participation during an on-campus event—and becomes a reusable marketing and admissions communication asset afterward.
Ready to Turn Participation Into a Visual Story?
Planning an admitted-students day, campus activation, or community event? If you want to capture authentic voices and create a shareable visual asset your team can reuse across channels, we’d love to help.
