WELCOMING STUDENT ATHLETES INTO THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD
THE BRIEF
LinkedIn wanted to connect with a specific and growing audience: college athletes. Many of them were new to the platform, or not using it to its full potential. Our goal was to design an experience that made them feel at home while showing them how LinkedIn could be a powerful tool for life after college.
THE CONCEPT
We created a mobile, modular space designed to feel open, inviting, and athlete-friendly. The structure was circular, approachable from any angle, with a natural flow that pulled students inward toward the activation areas. The design could be deployed across different college environments, with easy setup, teardown, and reuse in mind.
THE ACTIVATION
The experience was broken into four core zones, each tailored to support athletes on their professional journey while keeping the energy light, social, and student-centered.
1. Profile Builder
LinkedIn pros worked 1:1 with students to craft strong, athlete-savvy profiles.
2. Headshot Studio
A professional photo experience, with high-end, editorial-style portraits that felt both polished and personal, but also playful enough to reflect the students individuality.
3. Gaming Lounge
A laid-back corner with casual games and leaderboard challenges, letting athletes relax, compete, and win exclusive rewards.
4. Swag Store
Students turned their participation into premium, custom-branded items, gear they’d actually want to use, not just toss in a drawer.
THE LOOK
The design language was rooted in minimal sport, deconstructed, a blend of LinkedIn’s clean visual identity with layered references to collegiate athletics. We drew from the familiar: turf green and clay red carpeting evoked outdoor sports surfaces, while wood tones and line markings gave a nod to indoor courts. Benches, podiums, and lockers added recognizable cues, stripped back to their core forms. The entire space was tied together with a white line motif familiar to anyone who has set foot on a field or a court.
Everything felt athletic, but not sport-specific. Elevated, but not intimidating.
THE ROLLOUT
The activation hit multiple campuses in a fast-moving tour: UCLA, University of Washington, and Santa Clara University. Every component was designed for efficiency, quick to install, easy to break down, and durable enough for repeat use. The modularity made it possible to adapt to different spaces while keeping the full experience intact.
THE GOODS
Every item of swag was intentionally designed to feel both functional and covetable, useful enough to keep, stylish enough to wear. We leaned into minimal branding and high-quality materials, making sure the gear felt like something a student athlete might pick out themselves, not just another giveaway.
The full lineup included custom LinkedIn knit socks and embroidered bucket caps, varsity-inspired duffel bags, cleanly designed stationery set, sweatbands and headbands styled like classic sideline gear, and a compact Bluetooth speaker perfect for dorms or workouts. Each item tied back to the activation’s visual language, athletic but elevated, collegiate but contemporary.
