(DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)Thanks to the success of DePaul's Here, We Do. campaign, the university has made great strides in advancing brand recognition and perception among its most important constituencies, including prospective students, parents, donors, employers and business leaders.
The university intends to cement these gains in market awareness and positive perception by taking the visual cohesiveness of all DePaul marketing materials to a new level.
The university is taking steps to deliver a more unified look with a new color palette and typography standards as well as continued adherence to the university’s logo policy.“Many studies have shown that distinctive assets, presented with consistency to the market, improve message effectiveness," says Linda Blakley, DePaul's vice president of University Marketing and Communications. “Over time, audiences learn to link elements like logo use, color and typeface to a specific set of positive brand attributes."
A review of university-wide communication revealed only 18% of materials incorporated a consistent use of brand elements. As a result, DePaul is taking the first steps in delivering a unified look by more narrowly defining and owning the DePaul blue color palette, articulating typography standards and tightening DePaul logo guidelines—in all communications, from all departments, to all audiences.
"Every successful brand works hard at cohesiveness. To make cohesion part of the design criteria at DePaul is a straightforward shift," Blakley says.
"University Marketing and Communications has created a set of detailed but easy-to-follow brand guidelines to help departments transition to a more unified look and feel," Blakley continues. "They establish strong, unifying elements of visual continuity while still providing room for distinctive, impactful looks that fit each project's purpose."
Implementing these new guidelines across all university departments and units will take time. University leadership has established a goal of 90% compliance by August of 2022. The extended timeline allows all units to plan accordingly to integrate DePaul brand standards within this timeframe.
“The results of the brand consistency audit were eye opening. We strongly believe it is a strategic advantage for DePaul to have a strong, cohesive visual look in all communications," says DePaul President A. Gabriel Esteban. “With additional tools and focus, we can take steps to strengthen the DePaul brand, because Here, We Do."
Please review the components of the new DePaul University brand standards here. Questions? Contact universitybrand@depaul.edu.