Here at the University we are undergoing a brand review, through which the entire University brand will be critically assessed for its ability to support us in delivering on the University strategy, with the potential of reworking any part or the whole of the existing brand.

How the project will be delivered

We have partnered with RBL, a brand agency with extensive experience in branding for complex organisations. They were chosen because of their experience of delivering this type of programme and the benefits this can bring.

The programme will be divided into four parts:

1. Discover: through which they'll get under the skin of our organisation and culture and really get to know us
2. Define: when they'll define our unique brand voice
3. Design: when they'll begin to develop an identity the university can use across its whole business
4. Deliver: at which point campaigns, communications, spaces and experiences that bring the University of Bath brand to life will be delivered.

Goal

The goal of this programme is to evaluate our existing brand in its entirety to assess it for its ability to support the delivery of our new University strategy. Should the existing brand be felt to be unable to support the new strategy, all parts of it are open to redevelopment.

Choosing a supplier

In early 2020, the University ran a tender process to select a brand agency to support this project. Suppliers were asked to complete a prequalification questionnaire and to set out how they would provide an inclusive and consultative brand assessment and redevelopment process.

Following a competitive tender process, RBL brand agency was selected to provide expert support to our rebrand project. The agency has experience in working with complex organisations, including a number of universities, and has received awards for its strategic brand development work.

Note: This project was started in spring 2020 but put on hold following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns, while the University concentrated its efforts on supporting students and staff through changes in day to day working and studying. It then became prudent to await the launch of the new University strategy against which our existing brand could be assessed, and a potential new brand could be developed.

Phase 1: Discover

The ‘discover’ phase of the project has involved staff and student representatives from across the institution, and a wide variety of roles, taking part in either one-to-one interviews or in focus group conversations with the agency. These sessions have given the agency a chance to learn about both how our own people perceive the University, and also how their stakeholders do - from prospective students to alumni, corporate partners, local community and colleagues in other HE institutions.

Phase 2: Define

This stage of the process will involve developing a new Brand Voice, with workshops planned for the end of the summer to begin work on this. We look forward to updating you on these very soon.