Redcar & Cleveland College is preparing to move into an iconic £28 million new building in 2008. The move presented the college with the opportunity to completely rejuvenate and reposition the organisation with a new mission, vision and values. A corporate identity was required to reflect these significant changes.

 

Research

DTW’s recommendation of a staged research programme was accepted. Initial primary research was carried out, in the form of key informant interviews and stakeholder focus groups, to establish existing perceptions of the college’s current image, brand value, logo design, also to explore the changes the move

to the new college would make to those perceptions. The results of the research were mapped against the college’s new mission, vision and values.

 

In addition, desk research was carried out to examine the existing corporate identity and its application, alongside investigating the communications issues facing the college, particularly around the new building, target audiences, curriculum development, emerging opportunities and threats.

 

DTW analysed the outcomes to develop the creative brief for the corporate identity, which were then subjected to a series of selection processes with the stakeholders involved.

 

DTW also commissioned and managed a programme of quantitative research involving a selection of college stakeholders to establish their current knowledge and experience of the college. The college will use this market intelligence as a benchmark for customer awareness and understanding.

 

Design and development

A clear favourite emerged from the creative concepts presented. The chosen identity design was seen to represent all the college’s aspirations, and to position the organisation at the heart of the community it serves.

 

Following consultation with college marketing, IT and equality and diversity staff, DTW has developed a set of comprehensive user guidelines including templates, colour palettes, recommended imagery and fonts, to encompass all future requirements and ensure the integrity of the identity is preserved.

 

These are available at varying levels from fully interactive CD-ROM for professional usage, to booklet and simple poster formats. DTW will also provide ongoing support, including user workshops for the college and its suppliers and a telephone helpline should any queries arise.

 

“We’re all delighted with the final result. DTW have handled the

process in a very professional and efficient way.” Gary Groom,

Principal and Chief Executive.