Brand Strategy, Identity Refresh, and Implementation Services

The Vendor is required to provide brand strategy, identity refresh, and implementation services for include:
- Preliminary research and data analysis
1. Review of existing data and resources
• Evaluate prior university-initiated research results, constituent data, and assessments to establish a foundation of insights
• Determine existing brand position and evaluate existing communications and content to identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for better alignment
• Conduct stakeholder interviews, competitive analyses, and market surveys to support suggestions with data
• Facilitate the collection and inventory of all official and unofficial marks from an external perspective.
- Content and creative development
• As the creative development process takes place there shall be presentations of brand rationale at each phase.
• The creative development process shall result in 3 to 4 directions before refinement.
• All generated assets shall be provided in final packaged asset files
• Visual language including illustration style or iconography system, photography art direction guidelines (style, tone, subject matter, composition), graphic and pattern elements or textures unique to the brand, data visualization and infographic templates
• Print collateral templates across publications including 3-6 formats for each of the following: view books, brochures, fact-sheets, annual reports, and solicitations as well as signage and wayfinding, intended for all university audiences and stakeholder groups (e.g., prospective students, corporate partners, alumni, government stakeholders, and peer institutions). Engagement will result in one fully executed piece (content and design) per publication type not to exceed ten publications; audiences and initiatives to be determined during engagement.
• Brand expression including tone of voice and messaging framework (taglines, key messages, narrative pillars), brand personality attributes and audience personas (number to be determined during engagement), naming conventions for sub-brands, colleges, departments, and programs
• Clear brand guidelines for immediate central usage and adoption by campus stakeholders
• Templates and assets should also include social media post templates, email templates (for internal and external communications), digital advertising unit templates, and PowerPoint and google slides master templates.
• Digital design concepts - this engagement does not include a full website redesign, but should reflect refreshed brand elements across key digital properties.
• One design concept applied across 5 unique pages as Figma files with organized frames and named layers.
• All pages at desktop (1440px) and mobile (390px) unless noted.
• Prototype connections are welcome but not required.
- Planning and roll out strategy
• Phased implementation roadmap with prioritized milestones
• Stakeholder communication plans (internal and external audiences)
• Change management framework for transitioning to the new refreshed brand including extensive (onsite or virtual) training for all campus stakeholders.