University of Westminster
To create a brand strategy to help deliver the business objectives of University of Westminster, Jane Wentworth Associates undertook an internal/external perception study through creative and intuitive research, seeking the views of students, staff and interested outsiders.
Founded in 1838 as the UK’s first polytechnic, and now with more than 22,000 students on sites spread across central London, our research revealed a university proud of its long history and size but lacking a consistent story to tell. The new Vice Chancellor led a staff committed to their particular departments, but disengaged from the University as a whole. Students felt they represented the diversity of a world city, yet lacked a sense of coherent campus life.
Our brand strategy aims to accurately define the experience offered by Westminster: ‘a vibrant learning environment fostering innovation and creativity’; and the impact the brand can make on the organisation: ‘building the next generation of highly employable global citizens’. The unifying idea that encapsulates what every part of the University does is: ‘shaping the future of professional life’. The coupling of ‘profession’ and ‘life’, expresses the fluid and far-reaching concept of what study needs to deliver in the 21st century.
The University’s original corporate identity and communications were inconsistent and hampered by a proliferation of sub-brands. Controlled by a brand guardian, the new identity clarifies the relationship between the University and its many departments and services. The new brand’s tone of voice is integral to the design: key words and expressions are embraced by ‘University’ and ‘of Westminster’. The simplified portcullis has been retained, to announce Westminster’s proud position in the heart of London and the world.
Design by: Hat-trick