Following the exciting news that it had achieved University status in 2005, Southampton Solent University appointed Proctor and Stevenson to create and develop a new brand identity. Timescales meant that the project had to be completed within two months of the first briefing.
Any university faces fierce competition but also has to manage the impact of the changing level of fees, so affecting students' willingness to enter higher education.
Recognising this challenge, and working through managed workshops and competitor research, we identified the unique propositions and key messages for Solent, building on the existing ‘spirit’ of the Institute.
Realising that Solent, as a new university, would find it difficult to compete against the more established universities, we created a radical identity that set it apart, embracing the ideas of connection and transformation from the world of education to work and adulthood. This involved the development of a fresh, new identity, as well as a brand manual offering guidance on the logo and logo usage, font, colour palette, strap line, tone of voice and imagery and photography guidelines.
As part of this project, Proctor and Stevenson also worked on the University’s sub-brands which sit alongside the core identity. The new identity was rolled out through print advertising, exhibition stands, signage, website and promotional packs.
Since then, we’ve evolved the brand across campaigns for student recruitment at clearing, including the design and development of outdoor advertising, venue advertising, viral and HTML email campaigns, radio advertising, and local and independent press advertising.