This is an archive page

Bulletin

New visual identity for Sussex

Monday 29 February saw the public launch of Sussex’s refreshed brand and visual identity, the result of work that first began in 2014. Our web users now see a striking new-look external home page and new-look undergraduate prospectus 2017 web pages.

UG prospectus cover 2017 - colour blocks

Sussex staff have been provided with online guidelines to help create clear and engaging content for the University.

Staff can also request University-branded templates, order pre-printed stationery from the Print Unit and get advice on using the University logo.

The Digital and Creative Media team within Student Recruitment and Marketing have led on the new look.

The team have provided briefings to Schools and Professional Services over the last few months to take colleagues through the new guidelines and to assist in implementing a consistent look and feel in print and online. In the last couple of weeks, briefings have also been provided on the new web look and feel.

The Director of Student Recruitment and Marketing, Marcus Williams, said:

“The new-look home page and undergraduate prospectus online is the result of extensive research and user testing. Since May 2015, the Web Team has run thorough testing, on an ongoing basis: designing, testing hypotheses, learning, and redesigning.

“As a result we can be confident the new pages will meet our audience’s needs and help us to recruit even more of the best and the brightest undergraduates from the UK and overseas.”

Head of Digital and Creative Media, Mark Tobin, and his team have led on the changes to the online look and feel. Mark said:

“We knew there was plenty that was strong about the Sussex visual identity. Rather than dismantle, we wanted to build on what we had. The logo remains, albeit stronger and more visible. The colours remain, but modernised to resonate with today’s audience. Typefaces used by us for decades also stay – one a classic font, the other specially created and unique to the University.

“What’s new is a confident, clean identity: one that puts ideas, creativity and language at the centre of the communication. 

"We now have a visual approach that always places the University at the heart of the communication, but allows the many, varied, and valued personalities of individual departments and schools to come to the fore.”

On Monday evening visitors to the website were able to see the 2017 undergraduate prospectus – both in print and online – showcasing the new visual design and also a new and confident messaging. The new-look homepage carries the new logo, and will feature strong new photography.

Marcus Williams said: “What users will see is the start of a process. Over the next three years, we will continue to redevelop our online presence and external-facing web pages with the aim that – by 2019 – our website will be very different to how it looked in 2015.”

The refreshed identity will support all communications and marketing to prospective undergraduate students in the 2017 application cycle, and work now begins to redesign the 2017 postgraduate prospectus.

For questions on the new visual identity, or the redevelopments to the website, please contact Mark Tobin.