Redefining excellence
NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE
Northwestern College Branding
In the ever-competitive landscape of higher education, Northwestern College faced the realization that its distinctiveness could no longer be tied solely to its Christian identity. National rankings in accounting, MCAT, and nursing scores, along with similar rankings for overall value and community life make Northwestern much more than a Christian liberal arts college. The new Stand Out brand promise reflects that commitment to excellence without sacrificing their Christian calling. Their mantra is: We achieve—not for ourselves, but because excellence honors God and serves others. Our promise: You'll stand out here—and be empowered to lead a life of significance.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Visual Identity
Create a simple visual identity to support the primary word mark, but emphasize the new brand
Solidify Positioning
Develop messaging and supporting tools to ensure we are conveying our distinct characteristics
Departmental Distinctiveness
Create clear visual direction for different areas: Admissions, Advancement, and Student Life
Comprehensive Brand Design
Lead the overall design direction to create unifying look for all marketing collateral
RESULTS
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Wordmark
The word mark for the Stand Out branding is Avenir Next Bold. It serves as a contrast when paired to with the institutional mark in both its font weight and its upper/lower case design. When presented in isolation, it is distinctive enough to be the foundational graphical element of the brand.
Visual Identity & Design Strategy
Stand Out. We wanted a simple mark that could be paired with the institutional brand, or stand on its own. It needed to be bold, but it couldn't be confining. To accomplish this, there are two visual elements that serve as the foundation for the overall identity, yet provide a great deal of flexibility: The font Avenir Next, and an intentional emphasis of PMS 200 - the institutional Northwestern red. Avenir Next Bold is the primary font, but we utilize 4 different weights, and outline techniques as supporting fonts. The prominent use of the bold red emphasizes courage, strength and passion.
Collateral & Launch Pieces
To support the launch, we developed student- and prospective-student-facing materials: Signage and banners around campus that utilized the new font; A view book telling the Stand Out story; a series of cards and booklet that highlighted 30+ distinctive characteristics; and various promotional items for students.
Samples of Stand Out branding included a college view book, campus signage, and a "stand-out booklet" that highlighted over 30 distinctive characteristics of Northwestern.
Office Differentiation
Beyond branding for the launch of the new Stand Out brand, Authentige has provided art direction and design for offices across campus, that are distinctive, while supporting the new brand messaging, and/or primary institutional branding at certain touch points depending on audience. We have partnered with the offices of: Student Life, Admissions, and Advancement, as well as Athletics and Graduate and Online Studies.
Red101 brochure for visiting prospective students
All N Day annual giving campaign logo
Commencement & Convocation event materials
Logo and brochure for Center for Innovation
Compass Center (career center) logo, website, and online career tools
“Greg helped to transform the direction of our marketing efforts. He integrates so well into the team, and we always feel like he is thinking strategically about what's best for Northwestern.”
J. BLOEMENDAAL
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS MARKETING