Johnson Banks creates new Ravensbourne identity ahead of move

Johnson Banks is creating a new identity for Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, ahead of the institution’s move to its new £50m home in Greenwich.

Johnson Banks is creating a new identity for Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, ahead of the institution’s move to its new £50m home in Greenwich.

The consultancy’s appointment follows research and development work carried out by Lloyd Northover in April 2008, which led to the first stage of a brand strategy.

Findings from this prompted the college to call for a rebrand. Johnson Banks won a strategic pitch against four other consultancies in September 2008, beginning work on a full strategy and visual identity in March.

The new identity will launch in January, prior to the new building opening in September next year.

Johnson Banks design director Michael Johnson says work has started on ‘verbal identity’ – the tone of voice and brand positioning – which will inform a new visual identity.

The consultancy has taken on two Ravensbourne students as interns, and they will work with Johnson on the project. Chelsea Palmer is a graphic design student and James Taylor is studying motion graphics. They will work on a visual identity that may be fed back into the college for development.

Jill Hogan, head of marketing and communications at Ravensbourne, says, ‘The stakeholder groups have a muddled perception of the existing brand and we need to define ourselves with a strong proposition.’

Johnson Banks’ work will be led by this and the composition of the new building, designed by Foreign Office Architects. The building will be largely open plan with split-level floors designed to bring departments together.

A Penrose tessellation, which is to adorn the new building (pictured), will have a bearing on the new identity.

Hudson Fuggle has designed the 2010/11 prospectus for the college, in an attempt to bridge the gap between the new and the existing brand.

Taking its lead from the Penrose patterning, the prospectus uses the existing logo and colourways, with a wraparound cover/poster.

RAVENSBOURNE REPOSITIONING:

  • The new identity by Johnson Banks will launch in January 2010
  • Ravensbourne’s existing Chislehurst building will close in May 2010
  • A new building, designed by Foreign Office Architects, will open in Greenwich in September 2010

 

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Comments
  • Rob Hemus November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Looks lovely. Thats all I have to say about that.

  • AC November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Am I the only person that thinks the new building is awful?

  • craig sinnamon November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    ehhhh no.

  • martin - me studio November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    hey that’s a good idea: judge a piece of architecture based on one small jpeg image…

  • Fraser November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Glad we’re all talking about the article here…

    Good initiative to use interns to aid the design process, would make a great impression if they were really able to contribute their passion/understanding of the college into Johnson Banks creation.

    A worrying practice of Design colleges/institutions is the continued commission of prospectuses. I have always thought that they would be an ideal opportunity for students to embody the true identity of the colleges within a professional context. Allot of universities are wasteful with promotional spending, forgetting that what’s most important is the continuous success of their students and what they should be projecting is their distinct educational values.
    Or is that one dream too far?

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