Hertfordshire Students' Union knew their brand was rather dated and tired. It wasn’t communicating the personality and values of the Union, the depth of their expertise, or reflecting their desire to impact the lives of their student membership.
IE Brand came on board to help reposition Herts SU in the minds and hearts of their audiences. They needed a bold new visual identity that would stand out on the University of Hertfordshire’s campus and reflect its rapidly changing, diverse student population. They needed to more clearly communicate what they can do for the students, and why they should get involved.
Following a series of stakeholder workshops, IE’s design team set to work on the new VI. We created a striking new visual identity based around a speech mark device, reminding students and the university that Herts SU's primary purpose is representation – to be and to amplify the voice of students. This motif appears on the U in the Herts SU logo and throughout the brand as a containment device for bold typography, giving an activist, campaigning, protest movement feel to the identity.
We used a strictly limited, vibrant colour palette of electric watermelon pink alongside black and white to make the SU’s communications stand out from the crowd on campus. The core palette is complemented by softer secondary colours of pink and coral.
We use photography in a rough, cut-out style, primarily in black and white. Colour photography and a broader palette are reserved for certain purposes, such as Pride events.
Work on the new brand began in June 2022, working to very tight timescales. IE Brand delivered the new visual identity and full brand guidelines in just 2 months. The new brand identity rolled out in the run up to Freshers' Week and proved a huge hit across campus.
students represented and empowered by Herts SU at the University of Hertfordshire
countries represented in the student community
We’ve had an amazing reception to the new branding, from staff and students alike. Everyone has commented on how striking it is, how appropriate it is for a Students’ Union (many saying it’s what we’ve been missing) and the way in which it simplifies our complicated structure. To this day we're still obsessed with the end result and we couldn't recommend a brand agency more. Thank you ever so much!
Samantha Gibson, Acting Marketing Manager, Herts SU
in the country for Postgraduate Taught Student Experience
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