The University of Sussex had to have a new brand identity if it was to attract new students.
‘When we conducted a communications audit we found we were using 250 different logos and a lot of them didn't even say “University of Sussex”,’ says the University's Publications and Brand Manager, Katy Hiles.
‘We had a 25-year-old logo based on the University's heraldic coat of arms that had undergone minor tweaks over the years. It wasn’t suitable for use online and in other contemporary applications and different units within the university had started making their own modifications. To the outside world it looked confusing, and many of the university's 2,500 staff were unclear about what exactly they were communicating,’ she says.
The time was right for a fresh identity. So in November 2002, the university's Communication Division invited eight design consultancies to tender. The job went to Blast Design, which pitched jointly with brand engagement consultants, Circus. Blast already had a relationship with the University, having created an identity for Brighton & Sussex Medical School, a joint venture between the universities of Sussex and Brighton and Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust.
Circus worked with the University to define a vision and a set of values, which would form the basis of Blast’s creative brief. Circus carried out research among University staff, students and external audiences and prepared a report, Sussex Vision. ‘The success of the project hinged on the research input,’ says Hiles. ‘The Blast/Circus combination inspired confidence, and they understood the climate in which we exist.’
