Case study of how a university organized its visual branding architecture, using a house of brands approach.

1. Get your Brand House in Order
Paige Booth
VP for Marketing & Enrollment Management

2. So what’s your problem?
• Everyone wants their own logo!
• Life getting more complex
– New programs
– New segments
– New locations
• Don’t know how to say no?
• Don’t know when to say yes?

3. The problem at St. Edward’s
• Master brand signature was tied to Austin even
as we aspired to expand globally
• No guidelines to help answer emerging brand
questions
• Growing complexity of programs, products and
markets

4. The cast of characters
• The VP: has lived in a branded house but never
built one
• The Consultant: former brand czar for Duracell
• The President: he gets it
• The Marketing Staff: want to be good marketing
stewards but have no road map
• The Clients: I need to promote ergo I need
a logo

5. OUR STORY UNFOLDS…

6. New university logo launched
in 2001 amid much hoopla

7. Ten years later

8. The challenge in
higher education
• Decades of program and geographic expansion
• Increasing complexity of maintaining consistent
branding, positioning and messaging
• Without consistency, brands lose power
• Increasing competition and noise in the
marketplace make brand definition more
important
• Most universities lack methods to deal with
these challenges

9. Our catalyst for change
• Strategic Plan 2015: St. Edward’s University will
educate students for the opportunities and
challenges of a 21st century world.
– Academic distinctiveness
– Global preparedness
– Holy Cross, Catholic heritage
– Resource development

10. The stakes were high
• Strategic Plan 2015 calls for the university to
expand its international presence
• Inefficient branding would make it especially
hard to extend the brand worldwide
• Name identification and prestige is key to
forming global partnerships

11. Goals for brand architecture
• Simplify and align brand’s visual voice
• Strengthen brand recognition
• Leverage modest marketing resources
• Prepare to be a global university
• Anticipate increasing complexity
• Create a brand role rubric for the portfolio
of offerings

12. A house of brands

13. A branded house

14. FEW
BRAND HOUSE OR HOUSE OF BRANDS?
BUILDING ESTABLISHED
MANY
INDEPENDENTHALO
BRAND HOUSE HYBRID HOUSE OF BRANDS
MANY
Current Awareness
FEWTarget Audience
Available Resources
Brand Equity BUILDING ESTABLISHED
Promotion Level

15. Brand portfolio roles and definitions
• Master Brand – St. Edward’s University
– Singular, dominant brand
– Projects over all other layers
• Core Academic Identities
– Core campus units, central to everything we do
– Includes primary services, schools of study, degree programs and student/campus services and
facilities
• Brand Extension Identities
– Programs and organizations that extend the university’s reach
– Provide value-added programs that appeal to new and existing markets
– Exist only in relation to St. Edward’s University
– Complement the master brand while inheriting its equity
• Co-brand Identities
– Involve independent organizations with distinct identities
– Align with core values of university
• Promotions and Event Identities
– Special events, publications that happen at a point in time
– Have more flexibility with their visual identity, but must always present a clear connection to
St. Edward’s University

16. The St. Edward’s portfolio – Before

17. The St. Edward’s portfolio – After

18. Brand principles
1. We have one brand – St. Edward’s University. In
communication, the master brand is more important
than any other identity elements.
2. Core academic identities and brand extensions must
appear to be endorsed by the master brand and should
not appear alone.
3. When the master brand is presented in close proximity
to a core academic identity or brand extension, the ratio
of the entire master signature to the core academic
identity or brand extension height is 2 to 1.

19. Changes to the master signature
Old New

20. Letterhead

21. Magazine – Before & After

22. Brochure – Before & After

23. Kozmetsky – Before & After

24. Website – Before & After

25. Project timeline
• Summer
– Inventory and categorize marks
– First draft of portfolio roles and rule set
• Fall
– Practice application of rule set
– Review with leadership
– Debate some portfolio placements
– Strengthen rule set and define brand principles
– Revise master signature and redesign letterhead

26. Project timeline
• Winter
– Complete guidelines
– Communicate to leadership
– Communicate to internal clients
– Gradual implementation—6 to 12 months

27. Challenges
• Input from SVPs led to stronger guidelines
• Wild Basin will undergo major rebranding
• Professional Education Center—
core or extension?

28. Questions?
Consultant: Janet Mitchell
The Mitchell Group Consulting
janet@themitchellgroupconsulting.com
See full guidelines at
www.stedwards.edu/brandguide