Bienven'UT
Bienven'UT is one of the many student associations found at the Université de Technologie de Compiègne. The purpose of this organisation is to help international students coming to this university on an exchange feel as included as possible. In order to do this, we organised various events, and provided guides and information as needed.
We also set up a buddy system, where international students were matched with volunteering french students based on personality traits and preferred activities ; these two students were become "buddies". The main objective was to encourage cultural exchange and friendship between french and international students, as well as give international students a person to rely on if they needed support or help navigating their new life.
I participated in this association over the course of 2 semesters : during the first, I was part of the Communications team, and during the second, I moved up to Communications manager.
Visual identity & style guide
When I first joined the association as a Communications team member, the manager at the time created a fresh design kit to renew our visual identity : new logo, colours, typographies…
When I took over as Communications manager, we decided to keep the same kit and basic templates. However, I did change the colour palette, switching from spring tones (used during the February 2025 to June 2025 semester) to autumn/winter tones (used during the September 2025 to January 2026 semester). This helped distinguish this semester from the previous one, and was a better match to the types of events we would come to organise around the colder seasons.
Communication strategy
We had two main channels of communication : our Instagram account (public to all), and our Whatsapp community (restricted to international students and their buddies).
On Instagram…
I designed posts to share information about our association or provide information that would be helpful in the long-term.
I designed stories to promote events (attractive visuals, relevant information, links to ticketing information), as well as to recap past events through photos and videos.
We responded to direct message inquiries about our association or events.On Whatsapp…
I shared messages in the "Announcements" channel to promote events.
Instagram account
Whatsapp community
Graphic design
In my role as Communications Manager, I handled the visual production of the association’s materials across Instagram, printed posters, banners for ticketing pages, and internal guides.
My design workflow typically started with gathering visual inspiration and raw assets. I often used copyright-free editable SVG vectors, which I customised to match our visual identity (adjusting colours, modifying compositions…).
Once I had the base elements, I focused on information hierarchy, arranging elements so that the viewer’s eye naturally went from the main highlight (event name, date, or location) to the secondary details. It was important to me that the information presented was instantly readable, especially for students quickly scrolling through Instagram stories.
My design choices were always aligned with the tone and theme of each event. Throughout the semester, I ensured consistency across all formats so the association would feel recognisable and trustworthy at a glance.
Instagram posts & stories
Story — Karaoke event
Post — Christmas guide
Event banner
Ice skating event
Posters
This poster (as well as other types of promotional content) was designed for an event created by the University, aimed at celebrating Mexico's culture through a whole day of activities, food and events. This gave me the freedom to diverge from our association's colour palette, to something more suited to the theme.
Poster design
Printed version
Content writing
A large part of my role involved writing clear, engaging, and culturally accessible content to promote events.
On WhatsApp, I used our "Announcements" channel to promote events, even if an Instagram story was already posted in parallel. With no visual to rely on, I had to find other ways to make students interested in reading my messages in their entirety, and garnering interest in the event.
WhatsApp announcement
I was also in charge of writing Instagram captions to accompany posts, as well as event descriptions for the ticketing platform we used. I provided both an English and French version of these, in order to reach a larger audience (whereas WhatsApp messages were only in English).
What I learned
My two semesters at Bienven’UT allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t expect. I learned how to design communication not just to inform, but to connect, especially with an international audience whose backgrounds, languages, and expectations differ. Managing two communication channels pushed me to precisely tailor my messaging, adapt my tone, and understand how format shapes engagement. I gained confidence in creating cohesive visual identities, building templates, and making clear design decisions that serve both aesthetics and accessibility.
Most importantly, this experience taught me how to communicate with empathy : how to write for people who may be far from home, overwhelmed, or unsure where to turn, and help them feel welcomed, informed, and included.
mia.pellegrini@gmail.com
© Mia Pellegrini, 2025