University of Warwick

Country Base: UK
Industry/Sector/Keywords: Educational Institutions, Colleges and Universities, Higher Learning
Below: Before and After Images in Slide Show, Summary, Credits

Industry Setting

Higher education has never been more demanding. Great performance in the league tables isn’t enough, since research demonstrates that if people don’t know what you stand for, they draw less than flattering conclusions.

Challenge

University of Warwick has a strong position in the league tables and a distinct personality of its own. However, this was not coming across in its brand which had been coy at expressing its difference. The challenge was increased by the need to represent the vast array of audiences and purposes a leading university has across the globe.

Strategy

The positioning idea ‘What if’ and its supporting narrative, captured the infinite possibilities this dynamic institution enables. It’s a big promise, and Warwick is one of the few institutions that can live up to it. This message also provided a strong visual hook for developing an unconventional brand, for an extraordinary university.
Result

To reflect this, the logo breaks the mold. In some instances, ‘University’ is dropped, since ‘Warwick’ is the familiar shorthand. The clean typography is not supported by a crest or other symbol, but a window. It is therefore ever-changing, reflecting the dynamism of the environment and thought processes of the extraordinary University it provides a view of. The typography carries the color of the image behind and those images span the abstract as well as representations.

What unites those images is movement, as well as a clear sense of focus. Above all, there is a clear interplay between message and visual expression, where a variety of ‘What ifs’ are raised, and answered with imagery as well as typography.

Client: University of Warwick – www.warwick.ac.uk

Brand Strategists/Designers: Frank, Bright & Abel – www.frankbrightabel.com