Our work for NUI Galway

The real deal

01 September 2009

Following a five-way tender, BFK were chosen to design this year's NUI Galway undergraduate prospectus. With the environment for third level institutions becoming more competitive than ever, the university prospectus is a key influencer of choice and an information point for prospective undergraduate students. With this in mind, we chose to focus on communicating the high standard of teaching and education as well as the ‘learning by doing' experience of being a student at NUI Galway.

Our design concept focuses on ‘Real Learning’ and the unique university experience at NUI Galway. The combination of sans-serif and serif typefaces gives the prospectus a distinctive look and feel which serves to differentiate NUI Galway from their competitors. Relevant intriguing and inspirational words appear between ‘Real’ and ‘Learning’ which provide the recipient with a snapshot of the NUI Galway university experience: ‘Real Discovery’, ‘Real Challenge’ and so on.

This design concept provides a platform from which we are building an overall recruitment campaign which includes exhibition stands, press adverts, posters and additional literature.

Real Learning at NUI Galway

05 June 2009

We have created a new brand identity for NUI Galway. Following a series of workshops with a wide variety of stake-holders in early 2009, a set of core brand values were identified that accurately reflect the University's current achievements and future ambitions. These formed the basis for reviewing, reviving and revitalising the visual expression of the University's brand.

A revised brand mark is the centre piece of the new identity system. It includes the new rationalised University name in both English and Irish, reflecting the University's commitment to the Irish language and the relevant legislation. The brand mark incorporates an updated symbol of the University's distinctive clock tower. This shaply-defined graphic rendering expresses a more business-like and efficient positioning for the University.

 

While the University retains its full legal name, the rationalised form 'NUI Galway' has been agreed as the preferred version for general usage. It clarifies the University's brand name nationally and internationally and reduces confusion with the other universities within the National University of Ireland.

 

We have defined a complete brand identity system introducing a shared corporate typeface, a suite of colour palettes, and a standardised layout grid for printed literature. The brand identity system accommodates the relationship between all of the various individual colleges and research centres operating within the University.

The University has been awarded the title of Sunday Times University Of The Year for 2009. This updated brand identity confidently represents the reality of today's NUI Galway.

 

UPDATE 04 December 2009: NUI Galway has been named the Overall Winner in the Marketing Institute of Ireland West Region's Annual Awards. 'Significant measurable successes as a result of the University's outstanding marketing activity saw NUI Galway show a substantial increase of 13.1% in CAO first preference applications - a growth of more than double that of the university sector and the highest year-on-year increase of all the universities.'

Explore, Discover, Consider, Choose

10 October 2008

Vibrant, bold and fun is how we'd describe the materials we recently designed for the 2008 NUI Galway Open Day. The campaign, which included a poster, programme, bookmark, postcard, t-shirt, bag and press advertising, was aimed at potential students and provided them with information about the Open Day. We took a typographic approach, which, combined with a distinctive colour scheme, ensured that the materials would stand apart from the other university collateral at the student fairs.

NUI Galway brand research and strategy

19 March 2008

In 1998, this long-established university re-named and re-branded from University College Galway (UCG) to National University of Ireland Galway (NUI Galway). The reason for renaming the university at that time was the understanding that all constituent colleges of the National University of Ireland (NUI) would rename, highlighting their NUI-member status. However University College Dublin (UCD) and University College Cork (UCC) retained their existing names and identities. Only the two smaller colleges in Galway and Maynooth rebranded.

BFK's role in this project was to measure the level of internal buy-in and the success of the 1998 re-naming as a basis for future brand development. The project involved internal focus group research with academic and administrative employees. Key findings from the focus groups were quantified in an online survey of all 1,500 employees carried out by our quantitative research partner Ipsos MORI.

Following evaluation of the research findings, and of additional external research, we recommended alternative strategies available to the University for naming and for future brand development. After consideration of our findings the University decided to retain and build the brand based on the name NUI Galway. This research and strategic consultancy project was completed in November 2007.