With a clearly defined vision and a set of values focusing on the University's strong sense of community and its pioneering approach to higher education, Blast’s design team led by Creative Director Colin Gifford, was able to develop several concepts.
The one chosen centred on the university's initials. The ‘us’ acronym was designed to engage and draw people into the University with questions and invitations such as ‘join us,’ ‘why us?’ and ‘discover us.’
‘The “us” acronym neatly encapsulates a sense of inclusivity’, Gifford explains. ‘It also allowed a significant degree of flexibility, because playing around with the word allowed the university to talk in different ways to different audiences to keep the identity and the relationship fresh. A campaignable solution like this is more powerful than an identity that's little more than a rubber stamp.’
Blast also created a new typeface for the ‘us’ logo - a derivation from the Baskerville typeface that was more personal, rounded, and friendly. It identified a range of colours to be used, reflecting the natural landscape of Sussex, and a portfolio of inspirational photographic images which avoided university stereotypes such as students clutching books. This solution was inclusive, socially engaging and conveyed a sense of community. It could also be used to bring together all the schools, departments, courses and commercially focused entities under one unified brand.
The logo was developed as a call to action, Gifford says. ‘It could be used playfully to challenge, stimulate and quickly establish the brand across advertising and marketing materials as diverse as posters, carrier bags, postcards, prospectuses, literature, fliers and campus signage.’
