Wh rebrany d Executiv summarye
Bra identnd ity
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Approach and media
If you consider how important a college is to the students who go there, it makes you wonder why so few bother to actually make themselves appealing for future students or places to be proud of for current students. There are literally no reasons why as brands colleges have to be boring or try to look exactly the same as every single other college in the country. So we, seven rather optimistic students from the University of Greenwich, have attempted to change that.
foreword
To cut a long story short; welcome to the brand book for Lambeth College’s new identity. Within its pages are the guidelines and explanations of everything you could possibly need to make its identity as exciting and as interesting as it deserves to be. Enjoy.
The current branding of Lambeth College conveys a message of inconsistency, the colour choice is vary varied throughout the design of both the website and Prospectus. The imagery used is mainly of students, however this is not very dynamic, as most of these are head and shoulder shots. Some of the pages on the site are completely devoid of imagery, lacking an overall professional appeal. This treatment does not reflect the standard of education reviewed by OFSTEAD, and does not reflect the college’s educational standards. Other educational institutions provide a hub for students, parents and teachers,
executive summary
providing a gateway to intranet access learning resources and email accounts, however this is not the case on the current site. Other sites have news and information which, even for a prospective student, makes the college appear that there is a lot going on, and that the site is updated and populated often. Along with the current design, the site appears devoid of activity which does not reflect well on the activities at the college. The current ID cards convey the same theme, as they are lacking in design features and colour, the ID cards are used as discount cards, however they do not contain information to prove that a student is currently at the college. The ID card needs either an expiry date or D.O.B. of the student. Other colleges have previously combined the NUS logo for use on the high street, but this needs to be made obvious to stores in order to work effectively. The current logo is outdated, and does not attract a youthful target market. The ‘L’ and ‘C’ appear to be different fonts. The text itself is a Roman serif font, introducing more inconsistency in the current design.
Rebranding is a massive step for an organisation. It involves changing everything about you from the core outwards. So why do we think that Lambeth College needs to rebrand? Your college’s design is nowhere near as exciting as the college is. Lambeth College is a place of revelation so your brand identity should be just as exciting. We want to change this so that new students are enthusiastic and can’t wait until they arrive at the college. However your identity may hold you back from this at the moment as, apart from the building, everything else about the college’s brand feels very amateurish. It looks as if it has been done as quickly as possible with the minimum of consideration. Lambeth is a place that students trust to set them up for the future with the skills they need. But how are they supposed to believe this when your own logo looks so poor? Your brand is also just like every other college’s brand so you need to rebrand in order to appear professional and individual. The theme of individuality, creativity and revelation runs throughout your new brand and we feel these are qualities far more suited to an exciting and successful college like Lambeth.
why rebrand
Lambeth College’s message will be presented through a unified design scheme, sharing colours, selected graphic elements and repeating themes such as; reusing character avatars on ID cards, prospectuses and departmental website areas to allow for easy navigation and quick visual association. The message will also be presented through advertising which is going to present all brand attributes through the college’s tone of voice direct, informal, creative but still academic. The copy will be impactful and engaging. However it will also be careful not to alienate the target market and should talk to them through their voice, not as though a teacher or parent talking to them. We will need to be cautious not to appear patronising and appear as an adult attempting to talk to them like a teenager and failing badly (see most government health education or social adverts aimed at teens for examples).
To help with the unification and to improve the aesthetic interest of the college’s visual identity the Lambeth College logo will be redesigned for a logo which is visually exciting and will hold to the college up as an example of good design amongst FE institutions.
brand identity
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LOGO
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‘The design shows the growth of yourself.’
Our logo is designed to fit with almost everything about Lambeth College. The design shows the growth of yourself. It does this by presenting expanding sections that grow out from a central point. This is the same as we do as people, starting with who we are and adding extra knowledge and friends etc on to this. The fact that the logo features a perfect circle which has been staggered and pushed out of symmetry is to demonstrate being part of the college but also individual at the same time.
At college you are part of the student body and share its identity as a student but it is also the same time you begin to establish your own identity with your own style and opinions. Moving away from the more conceptual side of the design the logo also represents the curves of the college (well the Clapham site anyway) if you look at where the curve of your roof bends over the side of your building to continue on to the ground it is almost identical to the curves on the left hand of the logo.
elements
Each element supports the legibility of “LAMBETH” and they cannot be separated. This is stressing out the fact that everyone around Lambeth College makes who Lambeth College is.
1. This element is important because it defines the beginning of the negative space. This element also used as an alternative logo. See the usage written in this book. 2. The name “LAMBETH” is shown by its negative space. The idea behind this is to inspire people to look thing differently. This stands out from other colleges and makes people think the college has something special. Each letter is joined together to make the negative space to be more legible. 3. The word, “COLLEGE” is located closely under “LAMBETH”. This clarifies the base line of the negative space. 4. This element defines the end of the negative space. By locating “LAMBETH” in between two graphic elements at the side, they work as a graphic device. This is why it allows our eyes to focus on the name, “LAMBETH”.
1/3 L 1/3 L
Min. 0.8 in
usage
standardised form The Lambeth College’s logo should not be altered in any way. It must always be used consistently in its standardized form.
reproduction of logo
Use the space between the left side of vertical line “L” and the end vertical line of “E” from “LAMBETH” as a guideline of space. The size of typeface is 26pt when the size of “LAMBETH” is 57pt. Increase the space of each character in order to fit in the space.
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It is important to maintain a clear space around the Lambeth College’s logo. In the safe space, the logo must remain free of all graphics, texts, symbols and photography. Use the “L”, which equals to the height of the radial graphic element on the right side of the logo, as a unit of measurement.
safe space
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Minimum size refers to the smallest size at which the Lambeth College logo may be reproduced to ensure its legibility. The minimum size of the Lambeth logo is 0.8 in height, based on the height of the radial graphic element on the right side of the logo.
minimum size
25%
25% 50%
50% 75%
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The Lambeth College’s logo must always appear clearly and legibly in blue on white background or texture. The specifications are as follow: Pantone DS 235-7 U CMYK: C43, M18, Y15, K0 RGB: R146, G182, B192 HEX: #99CCCC
For restricted colour applications, the logo appears in black and white.
colour
Applying shades or any other effects
Rotating the logo
Using more than one colour
Distorting the logo Using one part of name
Pixelation
Using colour background Use the positive space of “LAMBETH�
Incorrect usage
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rockwell regular rockwell light
‘rockwell light but smaller...’
When it comes to fonts it can be very easy to overlook their importance.
However your logo and name will be the first thing many students see of the college. If the font sends out the wrong message then so does whatever it says, no matter how good that actual message may be. If it doesn’t look right it’s pointless. We choose Univers because it is a very classic font. Whilst it is getting on in years now it still manages to look as contemporary as any font. 1. Univers (from French: “universe”) is the name of a realist sans-serif typeface designed by Adrian Frutiger in 1954.
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LAMBETH C O L L E G E It was designed specifically to be legible from large distances as well as being clear up close so it sits as well in ten foot letters on the side of a building as it does in ten point type in a letter. Univers also manages the rare balance of being neutral but not cold. Lambeth needs a neutral typeface in order not to put off any group of students by appearing like an arts college or similar. However Lambeth doesn’t want to seem cold and unfriendly either, therefore Unviers is perfect for the college’s new identity.
This is a selection of imagery that we think sums up the feel of Lambeth College.
‘ As the college is all about revelation it is important to show these unexpected aspects. ‘
All of the images are vibrant and individual. Lambeth is a diverse area with many subcultures so the images show a wide range of subjects. One thing that they all share together though is that most are unexpected images.
Visuals
We don’t expect to see a girl with multicoloured lipstick but there is no reason why we shouldn’t see that. As the college is all about revelation it is important to show these unexpected aspects. The images also all represent a fun side, college is a serious place but this doesn’t mean that it needs to look serious. Bright colours and no dull and dark images make you stand out against the competition. As does the fact there are no clichéd shots of students smiling and jumping in the air or laughing around a table.
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TONE OF VOICE
’s do
‘ These are: creativity, revelation and individuality.
Do not use five word when one will do, be brief, saying only the essentials with clear and concise sentences. If we add in unnecessary wording it can make the structure hard to follow and allows the audience to wander away from the information. Try your best never to use jargon. This only speeds up things if both author and reader know what it means, always assume that our reader is new to their course. If using jargon or overly technical language is absolutely unavoidable be sure to explain what is meant by the phrase or word. Please never attempt to use street slang or text language in order to identify with students or prospective students. This does not make us look like a teenager. Instead we appear rather more like a parent who is trying too hard to fit in, which is very off putting. Teenagers naturally rebel against what their parents advise so why do we want to appear like that? Try to include human examples where possible. A paragraph written by a student adds more personality and ensures that writing does not become cold and overly authoritarian. However do not script this or tell the student what to write. This is easily spotted and never reflects positively on the college. A student saying “the college is great” will gain no new students.
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Empahsise these points wherever possible. ‘
‘ clarity ‘
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The tone of voice for Lambeth College is based around our brand attributes. These are: creativity, revelation and individuality. Empahsise these points wherever possible.Our tone of voice is to be clear, direct but still friendly. Write with the directness that a close friend would use when giving advice, to the point but never unwelcoming. It is important when writing to ensure that clarity is one of our top priorities, misunderstandings lead to people and the college missing out. To achieve this there are a few simple points to follow which are outlined and described in this section.
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Our tone of voice is a very important aspect of Lambeth College’s identity. It runs through everything from advertising to the prospectus to letters given to students. It manages to communicate the main points of our college without ever having to say them out loud. A tone of voice is best thought of as body language for written text.
* (unless talking about the irish band)
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There is nothing wrong with using humour and it will usually add spice to otherwise dull text on some boring technical aspect of the course. Nevertheless be cautious not to try too hard or to be too casual. Lambeth College is still a place of learning and should appear as such but there is no reason a place of learning cannot have a fun side. Be sure to engage the audience by saying things in an original way; try to catch them off guard. They have seen “we are a friendly college” a hundred times in any prospectus of any college. This will not interest them and we are selling ourselves on promoting individuality and creativity so try to be original. Always be cautious not to appear patronising or condescending (even if this section of writing can appear that way).
‘ style ‘
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It is easy to miss small details when creating large amounts of writing for a prospectus or letters for students but it is these details that often jump out on the page at a reader. So to avoid this make sure that we double or even triple check all text for grammar and spelling. Get different people to do this than the people that wrote it. Before we begin writing check that our software is set to English (United Kingdom) as by virtue of most software being American it is often default set to English (US). Use paragraphs to build structure and add clarity to our writing. Bullet points can be interesting and are a good way of keeping the reader’s interest but too many make for a disjointed text which can be hard to follow. Sentences should be short. One thought, or point, per sentence is enough. In order to help the flow of the text abbreviations should be avoided where possible. Writing Hrs. Instead of hours is pointless, it is a few less characters to type and looks far uglier on the page. Abbreviations are only to be used where they are in common language use such as phone, photo or bye. Underlining in text looks very messy and unprofessional. It is also very difficult to fit it in designed text without it looking downright ugly. So for emphasis use bold or italic text, but only use one or the other, never use both on the same word. Further to this do not use unnecessary punctuation marks such as exclamation points. These do not sit well in text and often make our writing look childish and immature. The exclamation point was originally used in plays to show someone laughing at their own joke and nobody ever likes the person who does that. When writing numbers use the word for the number until we reach the number ten, after this use the numbers but low digit numbers just look out of place in text as a numeral rather than as a word. Also in statistics do not switch between fractions and percentages within
‘ detail ‘a paragraph. If possible always
use percentages as these are easier to understand for people who struggle with maths. If you do have to use fractions then use fractions throughout the paragraph.
dont’s do’s
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Headlines are there to communicate information on things such as course title or campus. We view this type of information very quickly and it can often be easy to miss it if it is not made clear. Therefore our headlines should be clear and relevant. There is no point using a headline if it is not there to communicate anything, it is usually best to leave the header empty with just a block of colour in the situation. As with copy we should be unexpected with our headlines. This is the writing that is meant to grab the student’s attention so take them by surprise, people will often remember a Sun newspaper headline for being humorous or unexpected, but how many people can remember a Telegraph headline five years later? However be careful not to appear aloof or superior to our students. They are equal to the college not inferior to it.
‘ headlines ‘
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COLOUR PALETTE
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Grey, along with its gradients: 75% 50% and 25% is the base colour of the logo. This stays the same regardless of your course, subject, level and the display media.
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There are five remaining colours. Their uses are divided like this:
The bright neon colours you asked for reflect the bright nature of students personalities and positivity.
Colours play a vital role in people’s opinion of an institution. To do with psychology of colours. Would you get out of the way of a fire engine as quickly if it was grey? So bright colours imply that we are an enthusiastic, engaging and creative institution, no accountant has ever used yellow, ever.
‘Colours play a vital role in people’s opinion of an institution. ‘
Similar to the old palette but fewer in number and no longer clashes.
Purple is to be used when the logo is for adult use, such as staff ID cards.
Entry Le Stand vel: ard Gree n
The other colours are standard green, lime green, orange and red. These are to be used for different student levels.
Combinations of no more than three (of which one is the grey / light blue)
The concept is the soul of an advert. It is very much the gravity that everything else in the advert should be drawn towards. If everything on the advert is not linking up with the concept then you do not have an advert. You have a pretty poster. The concept can be as simple as saying why you believe somebody should come to Lambeth. But this is what every single college does and we want to be individual. Therefore it is better to think laterally rather than literally. Be specific, if you come to the conclusion that Lambeth can make your life easier by providing a good education then you have your concept. Lambeth makes life easier, it is then up to you how to execute
ADVERTISING CONCEPT ‘ It is very much the gravity that everything else in the advert should be drawn towards. ’
this, you could simply write it (literal and very boring) or you could think up an interesting way to show it. Show the college as the things that make your life easier. Not slightly easier, like a washing machine. A lot easier like a pen or a pencil (lateral and already more interesting). There are hundreds of concepts when it comes to a college so there is no reason to ever produce another advert again that shows students smiling whilst looking at a whiteboard. I went to college; nobody smiles that much looking at a whiteboard and students know this.
Media is how you choose to show your advert; this comes after you have your idea. It can be almost anyway, it can be traditional (posters and billboards), digital (on the internet or Facebook etc.) or it can be ambient (on bus stops or walls). It also includes things like television and radio but Lambeth will rarely if ever enter this realm so traditional, digital and ambient will be your staple diet.
media
‘ So why would we make adverts that are the same as every other college? ‘
approach
Clarify your target market. This is the first thing you should do. You have to know their behaviour, their patterns, and their interests.
If you want to appeal to people you must be able to think like they do. It should be easy; we have hundreds of case studies sitting in the building. Time spent watching what they do at times like lunch or as they arrive will be time well spent in the long run. Know your objective; it will generally be to entice new students or to improve the college’s reputation. But if it is for a special occasion, say a college performance open to the public or an open day think what you are trying to show. Is it the students? Is it the building? Is it the feeling of Lambeth? It can be nearly anything but this must be clear when you start or you will get lost and produce beige adverts. Remember that effectiveness is the keystone of good advertising. Don’t put an advert out to the public if it isn’t selling Lambeth College effectively.
Test the advert and the ideas on students of the college. It’s the easiest way to get feedback. Make our adverts fit with the tone of voice, it is vital. We are selling ourselves on being individual, creative and being a place of revelation.
It’s far better to look stupid when coming up with the idea with your colleauges than it is to look stupid putting out a bad idea to the public. What you think is stupid someone else may see a different way.
So why would we make adverts that are the same as every other college? Lambeth is unique so find ways of showing that, use surprising visuals or facts that nobody knew. Whatever you do never be mundane, this is what everyone is expecting from a college and it will not increase Lambeth’s standing.
We are bombarded with images everyday so we become immune to their effect. Making people smiles is the first line for getting through this defence. Just the same as when meeting someone for the first time, a smile can go a long way. Or in this case, making them smile can go a long way.
Be clear about what you want to say when creating the advert and how you want to say it. This is the bones of an advert; if this isn’t clear then it will fall apart and be completely ineffective. Never worry about looking stupid when coming up with the idea.
Aim high with quality of the concept and execution, the British default is “meh, that’ll do” in this case it will not. We are selling the College and want it always to look at its best. An advert is like going to a party but for an idea. It’s not going to turn up in scruffy trainers and ripped trousers.
Try to make people smile.
Clichéd pictures of results students jumping up in the air with their grades are just not acceptable and are banned from now on. Keep it simple. A good idea does not need to be dressed up. If you find yourself adding extra decoration that doesn’t need to be there then it is likely that the idea is not good enough. Never say you are “the best”. Show your positive points by all means but be very careful about saying you are the best unless you can prove it (with something like a league table etc.) and even then it rarely makes for an interesting advert.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ photos/yodelanecdotal/1409914720/ photos/kevkev44/2460106400 jtuason/516155982 alzickster/4360967648 saramattiace/4368528752 longsidepies/2874891541/ caughtredhanded82/4186835667 minervana/4532870946 moskyrock/3900150033 derricklmnop/3657306231 lakris91/4127229059/ vanessa_mae/331637680 32565250@N07/3723481383/sizes/l/ aecen/3064130149 photosynthesised/4264518002/ ephemeralcapture/4531980055 hillaryb_photography/3112348064 far_t_pants/4641520911 neopixx/2529116152 yilliamgrape/3117222950
references
http://www.photographyserved.com/Gallery/ Byzantium/430075 Gender-Roles-and-Appearance/408180 Byzantium/430075