Brand Standards for Kalamazoo Valley

Brand Guidelines June 1, 2010 Version 1.0

INTRODUCTION President’s Message Definition of a Brand Why We Exist Why We Thrive

BRAND GUIDELINES Our Foundation Our Promise Our Mission Our Vision Our Values

BRAND OVERVIEW Perspective Live the Brand A Brand Apart How We Act Internal Commitment Guidelines - A Road Map Using Kalamazoo Valley What is our ThoughtMark™ Using our ThoughtMark™ Elevator Speech

BRAND STANDARDS Market Parameters Constituencies

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

STANDARDS OF EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION It pleases me to introduce you to the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Branding and Graphic Standards Guidelines.

We must strengthen our marketing and communications efforts to underscore the efficacy of our brand and position this school effectively as a leader in the highly competitive higher education marketplace.

Essential in our strategic planning, is the implementation and maintenance of a unified and highly consistent graphic identity. With the recent development of our new branding initiative, we have the unique ability to effectively represent all aspects of our educational offerings and visually identify the authentic, honest essence of our brand “engaging students”. Though the brand resonates with all of us who have dedicated much of our lives to the school and the tens of thousands of students who have achieved their academic goals here, we must continually address new audiences using new and widely varied media.

This Standards Manual was designed to assist the college in using the new branding toolkit, including the requisite ThoughtMark™, AccentMark, TypeTreatment and palettes in communications materials including print, web and electronic media.

Compliance with these standards ensures the projection of a clear, consistent image for the Community College.

It is essential to remember that the iconography we use is not the only aspect of the college’s overall image. That depends greatly on each and every one of you. How well we communicate and how we live the brand every day and at every point of contact, is critical to ensure the strength of the brand.

Marilyn Schlack President

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Just what is a brand?

DEFINITION OF A BRAND

A product is something made in a factory. A brand is something experienced by the consumer.

A product can be copied by a competitor.

A brand is unique.

While the lifespan of products can be dated, a successful brand is timeless. The key is taking our core essence and distilling it to be clearly understandable to our consumers.

everyone who comes in contact with the school.

Make no mistake—a brand is everything. It’s how we answer the phone. And, at the same time it’s the availability and efficacy of our services. It’s our most valuable asset.

Our brand is what consumers identify with when they choose us over our competitors. Maintaining our brand will take time, effort, adjustment and a dedicated, consistent, ongoing effort from all of us.

A brand is a promise that consumers believe in.

Our brand is what people believe we stand for.

For example: Starbuck’s sells coffee. It stands for daily inspiration. Apple sells computers. It stands for thinking differently.

Kalamazoo Valley sells higher education. We stand for students and their success—above all.

The Kalamazoo Valley brand lives in the mind of every consumer. That means branding is the process of developing those beliefs and perceptions to be both accurate and in alignment with what we want our brand to be. Ultimately, we want to be a positive collection of perceptions in our consumer’s minds which will also be consistent with, and shared by

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WHY WE EXIST HELLO. Please know—this is all about you.

It’s likely—you are already living the brand.

It’s probable—you know and understand the brand as well as or better, than anyone else in the organization.

It’s reassuring—that the success of the brand is in your hands.

Consider what that means.

Every year, for over 40 years, more than 400 people—just like you—have burned the midnight oil, extended a helping hand, gone the extra mile to help a student. Many, many times over.

That’s it! That’s the brand.

It’s you!

Rest assured—Kalamazoo Valley is here because of you.

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Guess who recognized that fact before we did?

Students. Go figure.

It took us two rounds of research data before we were convinced.

Truth is, students continually cited our dedication, responsiveness and commitment to their educational and career success as the number one reason they valued their Valley experience.

A great brand is a collectively shared, memorable experience.

Now, re-read that last paragraph. Wow! Engaging students is what we do. And, we do it really, really well.

That makes us simply different.

NOW, WE’RE DOING IT AGAIN.

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We’re proud of our successes. Student success. Theirs. Ours.

We’re about more than classes and homework. We’re about conversing with and listening to and caring about—people.

Not to be just a number.

To be heard.

Dialogue.

We take the time to care. To respond. To act. To understand.

We live it.

We listen. Listening is about being there in the first place.

And, being available as promised.

We own it.

Listening is about valuing what students think about, worry about and need.

Listening is empathetic.

Caring is endemic—here.

Conversation… …goes a long way in a world of hurry up and wait; and, ‘just good enough’, and, ‘take a number.’

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In a world where word-of-mouth and endorsements from friends mean more than predictable, one-way advertising, guess who gets noticed?

We do. Because of you.

You matter most—because students matter most to you. We like that.

Because it’s honest. It’s true. And, it’s real. Ask any former student.

Odds are they’ll tell you what we already know. They’ll say—we care.

All of us. Not just teachers—but facilities staff, the registrar, the lawn crew, the college president. Every single one of us—really cares about them and their success.

Success in life.

THAT’S SAYING A LOT.

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WHY WE THRIVE HELLO AGAIN.

Consider what that means.

Remember—this is all about you.

Brand YOU—you are the brand.

It’s scary—to know that the brand lives or dies because of you.

We are a service brand. We provide services—to students. And since they interact with us in many different ways, on different occasions, on many different levels—we need to be on our toes all the time.

Literally. Unequivocally.

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Because, if we cease to live the brand— we lose. Because we will have made the brand irrelevant. Just words. A nice sentiment. Not real.

Because the brand, as you know, is about engaging students.

So, the first time you don’t live up to the promise you made— to live the brand, it’s over.

It’s up to you!

When we talk, people listen. They take the time to listen because we’re approachable, and we treat everyone as number one.

Age doesn’t matter. We respect each other, as we respect you.

Our tone of voice.

Approachable Conversational Informal Friendly Confident Knowledgeable Assuring Honest Positive Encouraging Clear

We talk with you, not at you. No one likes to be lectured.

Unless they’re in one of our classes, and even then—we still talk with them. And we listen.

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We took a chance. We raised the bar.

We didn’t follow suit. We didn’t follow anyone. We created something totally new. And that’s almost impossible to do.

We thought up .edyou™ We defined it as a ThoughtMark™—as opposed to a Trademark or a ServiceMark. We even threw out our old logo—and we didn’t create a new logo to replace it.

Nope.

We created a visual image that evokes the essence of our brand.

It’s YOU! .edyou™

The interesting thing is— .edyou™ can be interpreted in two ways.

You = students—YES! You = faculty, staff, administrators—YES! Our brand experience, in the minds of our students, is forever and always about them. It’s what we do extremely well. We focus on their needs, their success.

It’s your education, what will you do with it?

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But in order to survive in this highly competitive world, we need to stand out—forever and always! In order to do that, we need YOU, the college community, to see and react to our ThoughtMark™ as a visual reminder, on a daily basis—to live the brand.

A statement of fact—YOU matter most.

A call to action—YOU, must live the brand!

The more you think about this—you’ll see how valuable making the brand apparent and visible will be to the future of the school.

This is one of those ideas people like to talk about. That’s great too!

Because we know we offer something of exceptional value.

People are the source of our greatest pride and our greatest assets. You didn’t hear that from us. But you will hear that from your friends and neighbors.

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The school still has a single, strong means of identification that emphasizes Kalamazoo Valley as a first choice in higher education.

We designed a TypeTreatment and buffed it up with an AccentMark. Used together with our ThoughtMark™, we’re good to go.

Think about it. We’re simply different. And it shows.

Integral to our brand is the belief that people can make a difference in the lives of others. You have.

You will. Let’s make sure the brand beats true.

Because we’re all in this together.

No one else in higher education is using this type of edgy, innovative, highly-branded approach. We’re the first.

We’ve invented a new way to recognize the essence of a brand— before first contact.

We are a highly respected community college.

Our educational expertise, topical course offerings, innovative curriculum and so much more—make Kalamazoo Valley a great place to be, and a great place to become.

Now—we’re much more visible, thanks to branding.

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BRAND GUIDELINES How do I use this information?

Building a brand is more than implementing a set of rules. It’s a continuing and well thought-out process.

That means we have reasons behind everything we do and say.

Here you will learn a little more about what went into developing the brand and, in our companion Graphic Standards Manual, you will see and learn flexible guidelines for making it work.

This standards manual is designed to serve as the building blocks— upon which we create and ensure our own future.

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We believe in

We believe in

OUR FOUNDATION

OUR PROMISE

Characteristics Committed to engaging the student Interactive, Innovative + Transformative Forward-thinking, anticipating the next-generation Distinct in style and approach—Simply Different

In fulfilling this promise, we will be innovative, entrepreneurial, responsive and adaptive in guiding our students as they navigate their educational journey. This commitment to engaging the student will make Kalamazoo Valley simply different from other educational experiences.

Innovative Bold Approachable Adaptive Different Committed

Fluidity Engaging Relevant Convenient Responsive Distinctive

You. You will experience at Kalamazoo Valley… …a richly interactive, student-centric educational force that can be trusted to engage each individual as he/she pursues his/her goals.

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We believe in

We believe in

We are committed to enriching the lives of our students and communities through quality educational programs and services.

…over the next decade Kalamazoo Valley Community College will be a leader in providing highly regarded, relevant and affordable services.

OUR MISSION

OUR VISION…

To accomplish these ends, we will: • Support student goal achievement through access to learning experiences and assessment.

• Support a balance between a comprehensive curricular base and innovations in education, personal development and technology by strategically utilizing resources.

• Provide curriculum and supportive services relevant to the needs of individuals, enterprise and government.

• Maintain a learning environment built upon the inclusivity of ideas of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

• Support economic vitality and stability through development of a skilled local workforce.

• Integrate the components of campus-based instruction, M-TEC and the Kalamazoo Valley Museum to support student and community needs.

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We believe in

OUR VALUES

The following institutional values shall guide all policies and practices of the Kalamazoo Valley Community College District.

Caring and Respect • Foster a safe, dynamic, learning environment • Demonstrate positive regard for self and others • Give and receive praise graciously • Honor civility, service, collegiality, and social justice

Teamwork and Stewardship • Work together to achieve our vision, mission and goals • Commit to finding solutions • Manage and protect our resources— human, fiscal and environmental • Develop and foster community relationships based on mutual trust

Integrity • Do the right things for the right reasons • Ensure interactions are driven by our vision, mission and values • Be responsible, accountable and ethical Excellence and Quality • Embrace change as opportunity • Pursue excellence and innovation • Value learning and develop an environment of intellectual inquiry • Share new ideas and expand the boundaries of knowledge Humor and Well Being (Too much fun is just enough at KVCC) • Nurture creativity, humor and enjoyment of work and learning • Promote a healthy environment for mind, body and spirit

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BRAND OVERVIEW

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Looking forward

What’s my role, my responsibility?

Our brand is, essentially, what people experience when they come in contact with any part of our school. Our brand is far more than just our name or logo.

Please remember, above all else, it’s up to you to live the brand. Every day, forever.

PERSPECTIVE

It’s the way we do everything; how we act, what we say, how we say it, how well we listen and what we do in making students our primary focus. Our brand is the essence of Kalamazoo Valley Community College. It is what we exist for and what we do best, we ‘engage students’.

LIVE THE BRAND

To be truly successful, every one of us at Kalamazoo Valley must consistently connect with students and key stakeholders in a collective, concerted effort to nurture and earn their faith in our brand.

These materials were created to help you understand what sets the Kalamazoo Valley brand apart and how you can endorse and strengthen the brand.

When we live our brand, we ensure that each and every constituent—as well as faculty, staff and administrator—has a clear picture of who we are.

Our collective efforts to live the brand promise will ensure our continuing existence and offer future generations the greatest potential for success.

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What makes us different?

Brand awareness is key!

When faced with making branding decisions for Kalamazoo Valley, ask yourself—who do I truly work for? The definitive answer is—students!

It’s what we do, on a daily basis, that has the greatest potential impact on our brand.

Meeting needs and exceeding student expectations is the reason we’ve earned the distinctive brand promise ‘engaging students’.

A BRAND APART

They are essential to the fulfillment of our brand.

Fully comprehending and understanding this aspect of our existence is key to maintaining the integrity of the brand. It ensures our ability to stand apart from and above our competitors in higher education.

If you remain perpetually focused on improving student experiences and doing everything possible to enable their success, you are living the brand!

HOW WE ACT

Service brands are, by their very nature, dispersed widely and can be strengthened (or weakened) at every point of contact. That’s why we absolutely must live up to the way in which students see, hear and experience us.

We really must walk the talk and continue to care about their needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

They come first. They must, for us to be who we are and, to be the best we can be, for them.

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The importance of

INTERNAL COMMITMENT

You are the reason our reputation transcends belief—you believe in students, each and every one, and you do everything you possibly can to ensure their success.

We know this because they told us that your openness, approachability, dedication and support made all the difference in the world to them.

That’s why we must draw attention to and consistently support our brand.

We are unequivocally, student-centric in our approach, and this extent to which we focus on students is the honest and truly differentiating factor that lets us stand out and maintain our status as an exceptional leader in higher education.

The way in which we engage students is the most common, memorable, shared experience among students who actively participate in the Valley experience. It is our brand—.edyou™

The best brands are built upon the highest level of commitment from those who support the brand every day—for us, that means faculty, staff and administrators.

Our organizational strength depends on our dedication to communicating, measuring, managing, extending and living our brand. It depends upon you.

We think it’s in excellent hands.

Branding has evolved into a very powerful business tool. In many cases it’s the primary means of differentiation in highly competitive markets and the key to developing long-term, customer loyalty. And that’s essential for our continuing survival.

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Everything we use

GUIDELINES— A ROADMAP

Like our Brand Guidelines, the Identity Guidelines we’ve developed for you can’t possibly answer all your questions or make decisions for you, but they can serve as a reference point, a guide.

Identity Guidelines contain information about graphic elements, color use, typography, approaches to photography and much, much more. These are the most recognizable and visible supporting elements of our brand.

Is it helpful in answering or even anticipating and resolving their questions? Is it reassuring them that we truly care —about them? If not, don’t do it. Period.

This is not an easy thing to accomplish and maintain—all the time. But, it’s an absolute must!

Finding the right words, the right image, and always placing the student first, will set Kalamazoo Valley apart as a first choice and brand leader in the higher educational market.

As you work to create and use new, brand-centric elements, you must know the ins and outs of logo use, layouts, grids, appropriate photography and maintaining visual consistency across all media.

So, in every case, ask yourself—is what I’m creating a direct reflection of our core purpose in helping students? Is it making every student’s life easier?

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When should I use what?

WHEN, WHERE, HOW + WHY

In simplest terms, our official name is Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

As an integral part of the branding process, we shortened the name to Kalamazoo Valley (with a visual emphasis on VALLEY).

For lengthier, more detailed information regarding usage of the Brand Identity ToolKit, the ThoughtMark™, TypeTreatment and AccentMark, please see our Identity Guidelines manual.

Or, contact the Kalamazoo Valley Marketing Department.

In speaking the name (for example), please say “I work at Kalamazoo Valley.”

In writing, use the full name for first reference to the school, followed by Kalamazoo Valley for subsequent references.

You may still use KVCC in speaking about the school—but not in written form as an initialism.

In short form use Kalamazoo Valley.

KV is only used as part of our AccentMark™.

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What’s a ThoughtMark?

THE DIFFERENCE

We really raised the bar on this one. Trust us.

For a very simple explanation of why we followed this approach, read the two introductory aspects we use to introduce the Brand Manual.

What’s a ThoughtMark?

USING OUR THOUGHTMARK

.edyou™ is intended to underscore Kalamazoo Valley’s dedication to student success and elevate the school’s visibility and believability in the highly competitive realm of higher education.

It was designed to accompany the school’s strongest conceptual messages and should not be trivialized through overuse. See the Identity Guidelines for additional information.

Knowing that a brand only exists in the minds-eye of our students and our key stakeholders as a common, shared experience, we consciously decided not to depend on a traditional, representative logo—but instead, opted to create something that would serve as an evocative, visual reminder of the essence of our school and the epitome of the brand itself. Hence— .edyou™ was born. .edyou™ emanated from extensive research and years of feedback from students. Both efforts found this school, as well as faculty, staff and administrators to be extremely student-focused in everything we do to ensure student success.

Our Thoughtmark™ – .edyou™, is unique. And that‚‘s really saying something. Our ThoughtMark‚™ is a our promise—it’s your education, it’s all about you. .edyou™ visually emphasizes the openness, approachability and dedication embodied by the faculty, staff and administration in supporting each and every student.

Intentionally created to make you stop and think, the ThoughtMark™ represents, innovation, technology and a distinctive approach to education—because, that’s what we’re known for. It’s designed to initiate dialogue, personalizing the unique educational experience we offer and enabling us to speak with students—not at them.

Kalamazoo Valley is where forward-thinking is a philosophy, where our students have a voice, and where we will never forget our purpose. .edyou™ is that promise.

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Please use it every chance you get!

ELEVATOR SPEECH

Someday soon someone will ask you to explain what the Valley branding thing is all about.

Everyone associated with the school needs to be able to outline the essential aspects that make Kalamazoo Valley Community College uniquely positioned to excel as a leader in higher education.

Differentiation is the key.

Perhaps you could use this: Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a dynamic and innovative leader in higher education.

We’re widely recognized as a highly studentcentric organization and the very essence of our existence is based upon our brand promise — “engaging students”.

Everything we say and do is designed to strengthen our brand and ensure that student success remains our primary focus—forever.

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BRAND STANDARDS

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Success in a highly competitive marketplace

MARKET PARAMETERS Greatest challenges: strong competition and changing customer demographics and psychographics, pricing pressures and lack of brand awareness

Brands in higher education’s highly competitive marketplace are becoming increasingly fragmented.

Key constituents and consumers are more difficult to reach using traditional marketing techniques a few, key media selections.

People (especially Gen Y and Gen Z) are turning away from old-style, interruptive marketing in favor of more personal, referral environments created through the proliferation of social media.

Skepticism reigns and the continual bombardment of images and sound bytes has made consumers far more difficult to reach and engage.

keys to success include a finely-tuned, adaptive and relevant brand. Brand awareness and brand preference for Kalamazoo Valley are the two most significant goals to achieve in order to maintain a dominant market share.

A caveat that should be considered is that industry research shows brand revitalizations are typically taking place every three to five years. And that this is an indicator which implies an approximate three to five year development period before revitalized brands take full effect. This means that brands kept up to date both visually and thematically are far more likely to make a strong connection with key consumers and stakeholders.

Still, branding is considered the primary, and most effective business tool to achieve significant differentiation in saturated and fragmented markets like higher education. Current economic conditions make consumer decision-making an even greater factor than ever before and only those brands that stand out and reflect the best return on investment, as substantiated by peer communication and trusted referral sources, will even be considered. The primary

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Serving our

CONSTITUENCIES

Reaching key Kalamazoo Valley constituencies and stakeholders is most effectively achieved in four ways including; • • • •

Word of mouth Web and interactive Customer service Public relations

Increasingly, social media is becoming a key element in effective college marketing efforts. Consumers (students) are placing more emphasis in their decision-making on brands that have more credibility through direct contact, referrals and brand promises evolving out of authenticity.

to its recent emergence as a young brand. The school has a widely recognized history and tradition within the community. The brand promise was not articulated until just recently (2009).

Out-of-the-box, blue sky thinking will be necessary to achieve true brand success in which we can effectively capture and retain consumers of our evolving educational services. Even so, Kalamazoo Valley has adopted the best brand positioning approach by focusing on the essence of the organization and the combination of user attributes that make it a first choice in higher education regardless of age.

Constituents appear to respond best to brands that position themselves in alignment with value, i.e. cost effective—offers far more for less, premium, i.e. highest quality offering some degree of exclusivity and innovation, i.e. committed to new ideas— offering access to new technology and/or business trends.

Kalamazoo Valley, though a strong force in higher education in our regional marketplace (as a 40+ year old community college), will need to initially migrate to an image focusing on lifestyle and innovation due

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Kalamazoo Valley Community College Brand Guidelines Š 2010 Kalamazoo Valley Community College