Illinois Wesleyan · The Writer’s Field Guide
Every interaction can help someone become more.
This is the field guide for anyone who writes for Illinois Wesleyan — what to say, how to say it, and the words that make us sound like one university. Whatever you’re drafting, it should carry one promise: do well, do good, become more.
Section 01 · The Essentials
The good stuff. One page.
Before you write anything, start here. This is the short version that fits in your head — and the language you can lift straight into a draft.
Illinois Wesleyan · Brand Essentials
What We Believe
Brand Promise
Brand Platform
Strategic Positioning
Illinois Wesleyan helps students build an education that shapes their lives.
The Promise, in plain language
Develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed.
Use those abilities to contribute to others and make a meaningful difference.
Keep discovering your strengths, expand your possibilities, and become the best version of yourself.
Four Message Themes
Growth
Discover your strengths.
Humanity
Be known and supported.
Participation
Learn by getting involved.
Success With Purpose
Build a life that makes a difference.
Proof
People, experiences, opportunities, and outcomes.
- •Personal faculty mentorship
- •Meaningful relationships and a supportive community
- •Hands-on learning and real-world experiences
- •Leadership opportunities
- •Career and graduate-school preparation
- •A broad, adaptable liberal arts education
- •Research, internships, athletics, arts, and service
- •Study-abroad opportunities
- •Five Centers of Excellence
- •More than 175 years of shaping lives
Brand Story
For more than 175 years, Illinois Wesleyan has helped students build an education that shapes their lives. Through meaningful relationships, hands-on experiences, and a culture of participation, students discover their strengths, expand their perspectives, and prepare for successful lives with purpose. Every student's journey is different. The opportunity is the same. Become More.
Section 02 · Writing Frameworks
Find the right framework.
Search the guide, pick the framework that fits what you’re writing, work the channel checklist, and start from copy that’s already on brand.
6 frameworks
Illinois Wesleyan · The Writer’s Field Guide
Message Theme · Growth
The Growth Story
Show someone discovering a strength they didn't know they had. The most versatile IWU frame — it turns any program, class, or opportunity into a story about becoming more.
Use it when
Recruiting, academic program pages, student features, campaign copy — anywhere the reader is asking "Who will I become?"
How to build it
- 01Open on the person before the change — a question they were sitting with, not a credential.
- 02Name the moment: the class, mentor, lab, stage, or trip that opened something up.
- 03Show the strength they discovered, in plain language.
- 04Close on what's now possible — forward-looking, never final.
- 05Land the platform: Become More.
Prove it
- •Which faculty mentor made this possible?
- •Which hands-on experience, research, internship, or study-abroad moment anchors it?
- •What outcome — a job, a grad program, a contribution — can you name honestly?
Say this, not that
World-class academics
Faculty who know your name and push your thinking
Best-in-class outcomes
Graduates prepared to do well and do good
Unlock your potential
Discover strengths you didn't know you had
Channel checklist
Copy templates · Web and beyond
[BRACKETS] = replace before sending
Every framework ladders up to the same promise: Do well. Do good. Become more.
Section 03 · Find Your Lens
One story. Your version.
Pick who you’re writing for. The promise stays the same — what you lead with, and the words you choose, change.
They're asking
Who will I become?
Emphasize
Growth, exploration, belonging, confidence.
Core message
Illinois Wesleyan helps you discover your strengths, explore new possibilities, and become more fully yourself.
Ready-to-use example
"You don't have to have everything figured out. You just need a place that helps you ask better questions. #BecomeMore"
Section 04 · How We Talk
From idea to inbox.
Two working references for drafting: the hierarchy of what we say, and how the writing shifts by channel.
Section 05 · Resources
Where the assets live.
The full brand guide, plus the files and links you reach for while you write.
Live link
Brand Messaging Guide
Download the official IWU brand messaging guide (PDF).
Open →
Live link
Official Website
iwu.edu — the public-facing university site.
Open →
Live links
Social Media
Follow IWU across every platform.
Coming soon
Templates
Documents, decks, letterhead, and email.
Link coming soon
Coming soon
Videos
Brand and campaign video assets.
Link coming soon
Coming soon
Photography
Approved campus, student, and academic imagery.
Link coming soon
Coming soon
Presentations
Branded slide decks for talks and pitches.
Link coming soon
Coming soon
Messaging Documents
Approved messaging, boilerplate, and language.
Link coming soon
Section 06 · Who to Ask
Not sure? Ask a human.
Need a review, an approval, or a second opinion on your copy? Here’s who owns what.
Owners and email addresses will be added as we finalize the brand team.
Section 07 · The Full Story
Want the whole framework?
Background, context, and the deeper reading behind the language you’re using — for when a draft needs more than the essentials.