UCL wants its funding campaign identity to ‘disrupt not complement’ its corporate look
University College London (UCL) is rolling out a new global Philanthropy and Engagement campaign with an identity that has been created to be radically different from its corporate one.
UCL wants its funding campaign identity to ‘disrupt not complement’ its corporate look
The university is aiming to raise £600m for research, transformative capital projects and expanded student support. The money will be used on four priority areas: health, students, London and Disruptive Thinking.
Branding agency Lambie-Nairn was tasked with creating a brand identity which captured the uniqueness of UCL, its strong personality and the story behind the campaign. The brand also needed to reflect the university’s belief in pushing boundaries, which is based on ‘its experience of delivering innovative solutions by doing things differently’.
The resulting campaign is built around the idea ‘It’s All Academic’, enabling UCL to take a well-known phrase and turn the meaning on its head to say that being academic is no longer seen as delivering less. The design uses classical fonts combined with provocative language and an eclectic handmade, punk inspired aesthetic.
Adrian Burton, executive creative director, Lambie-Nairn, commented: “We have created a brand identity that captures UCL’s rebellious streak and has legs to work over the broad range of topics and initiatives the campaign wants to fund. Being radical is an essential part of the university’s DNA and we decided to take a new and unexpected approach to engage with its diverse donor community.”