As companies pour billions into developing their AI engines, we’re seeing continual advancements in the capabilities of the technology. While some of it is impressive, and some of it is very useful, it’s becoming harder and harder to distinguish genuine images from those that have been generated by AI. AI image generation is available to anyone with an internet connection, and with few restrictions on what can be generated, there’s a real and increasing risk of photo misuse.

This is a particular concern for schools, which now face a heightened responsibility to tighten their digital safeguarding practices and protect their pupils. But when so much traditional school marketing often features photos of pupils for things like open day banners and school prospectuses, how do you make sure you’re protecting your children without diluting your marketing?

For the Leicester Schools Foundation (LSF), the decision was clear: remove all identifiable student imagery from each of their websites, becoming the first of its kind to make such a call. Far from nullifying their marketing, though, they’ve retained engaging and impactful content across their websites.

An inspirational approach

This was a hugely bold move from LSF, and it was inspiring to be part of the project. It opened our eyes to what’s possible when you break from the norms of traditional school marketing - you don’t need to sacrifice personality, engagement, or the emotional impact to appeal to your audience.

The importance of this element of digital safeguarding is brilliantly driven home by this ad from Data Protection Commission Ireland. Even if you’re just sharing photos of your children to your trusted followers on Instagram, or Facebook friends, you’re taking the risk of putting their personal information out into the world for anybody to see.

Photos, but no faces

So, how do you effectively market a school without identifying the pupils? We utilised photography of the schools themselves, their grounds, and various activities. Getting creative with angles and close-ups was key, too, as it allowed us to incorporate some features - a bit of uniform here, a group of pupils there - without showing anything that could be used to identify them.

Emphasis on colour and typography, plus interactive elements, and shapes and patterns from the schools’ brand guidelines came together perfectly to enhance each website and show the unique personality of each of the five schools.

Beyond our project

Although this was a web-focused project, our learnings needn’t be limited to the projects of the same type. The same tactics can be applied to other mediums - social media campaigns, TV spots, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising, for example. As long as they’re timed correctly and positioned properly, campaigns like this can resonate with parents and set a continuing example for other organisations to follow.l

This project represents a new frontier in school marketing. We have an obligation to protect children online, and the norms of marketing shouldn’t affect that responsibility. Safety-first design doesn’t have to sacrifice performance, engagement, or emotional creativity - it just means we need to get a little smarter and more creative with our strategy and execution.