Building our global profile and perception with daring design

By Cheryl Belford, Senior Graphic Designer, Keele University

Our new campaign not only tells the story of how Keele was founded but shows how over 70 years we have become one of the most innovative universities in both teaching excellence and global research. We are the driving force in breakthroughs of some of the most innovative interdisciplinary research solutions aiming to improve global health, sustainable futures, social inclusion and community engagement locally, nationally and internationally.

“Born Different” is an international campaign across multiple platforms that demonstrates how Keele was created to be a different kind of university. The campaign has the objectives of raising the profile of Keele University amongst potential partners, celebrating our research strengths, and building upon academic collaborations across the globe in line with the University’s strategic plan.

Keeping it on brand

Our visual style is the outward expression of Keele University. Using the right messaging, tone of voice and flexible components from our brand such as colour and typography we were able to bring a new look to the campaign that embraces our brand while also driving it forwards.

Any campaign should be striking, make a statement, and be used to enhance and promote a brand, and its identity.

Our aim was to create and design a campaign that has an emotional connection and makes you to want to read and encourage to find what lies within or beyond.

Using a combination of unique compositions, bright colours and striking imagery, the campaign instantly grabs the audience’s attention.

How we made the campaign unique

Confident with colour

Using our bright, bold colours from the brand really gives the campaign punchiness and attracts attention.

The personal touch

Large patterns can make a design visually interesting and eye catching. To tell the story of Lord Lindsay we have taken inspiration of the pop art culture at the time Keele was formed in post-war Britain. We have also used Lord Lindsay’s handwritten signature which adds a personal touch from our founder.

Combining styles

Here we have combined differently sized fonts and styles, along with a gradient colour and a stack of photographs that have an old textured feel, to create a design that is timeless, modern and distinctive. The aerial shot of before and after shows just how our campus has grown, but is also true to one of our core values of sustainability.

Reflect on the past

Using vintage photographs and imagery from our Library’s archives creates an emotional connection. Photographs go beyond being nostalgic. They evoke memories and capture different types of emotion. Our archive photographs truly demonstrate the legacy of inspirational teaching and interdisciplinarity at Keele University from over seven decades.

Simplicity does the trick

Keeping it simple creates more impact, and ensures elements on the page have space to breathe and are aligned in all the right places. These small details can make or break a design. Here we have used a simple solid colour and a large impactful image with a unique composition that pushes design boundaries, yet still gives an understated sophistication.

Big on numbers

Emphasising the numbers behind the research is a great way to grab people’s attention.

Photography that reflects

Photography is one of the most important elements within a design, and can instantly tell a story, so it is important that the image reflects the content, gives the right impression, and is of the highest possible quality. Black and white imagery gives a great sense of emotion, and when used well, generates attention.

Make use of type

Typography is fundamental as it can act as a design element while remaining informative. Throughout the campaign we have used cropped typography where we have erased parts of letters, while still maintaining readability. Here we used the combination of a curvy ampersand, bold colours and counter spaces with an image to spread a friendly and positive mood.

Conclusion

So when designing a campaign, it’s not all about the pretty pictures and cool colours, you need to know its purpose, its target audience, choose the correct paper stock if printing, know your print finishes, and consider how it can translate to different digital platforms.

Understanding brand guidelines and knowing the rules also helps you to break the rules in the right ways and know the limits within a brand. A campaign designed well can be fun, informative and create a sense of emotion. In the words of Albert Einstein, ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun’.