Lloyd Northover begins Ravensbourne rebranding

Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication has appointed Lloyd Northover to lead the first phase of a strategic rebranding programme, ahead of the opening of the college’s new £50m campus on London’s Greenwich peninsula in 2010.

Lloyd Northover will conduct a brand audit and perception study among students, alumni, current and past governors and business partners to evaluate the brand’s impact and identify strengths and weaknesses.

The findings, to be presented in July, will form the basis of the college’s new brand strategy.

Ravensbourne head of marketing and communications Jill Hogan says she anticipates the research will show a total rebrand is required. If this is the case, Ravensbourne will tender for a design consultancy at the start of the academic year.

‘We are creating an amazing new building with state-of-the art facilities. With the help of Lloyd Northover, we will be able to strengthen our competitive advantage and get our messages across loud and clear,’ she says.

Jim Bodoh, director of strategy at Lloyd Northover, says, ‘Over the past ten years the higher education sector has gone through a massive transformation and competition for students has become very intense. Ravensbourne has been quick to recognise how branding can influence the way it is perceived by the outside world and, like other specialist colleges, it is in a fantastic position to compete as it has a clear differentiator from general institutions.’

The current Ravensbourne logo was designed in the late 1980s by a tutor at the college.

Lloyd Northover has worked with more than 25 universities including the University of Manchester, the University of Bedfordshire and Coventry University.