A university brand that stands out, for a growing region
UniSQ
Services
Logo Design,
First Nations Collaboration,
Brand Strategy,
Verbal Identity,
Brand Identity
THE BRIEF
The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) is based in one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. However, it had been experiencing a recent drop in applications, particularly from the Year 12 school leaver segment.
Brand perception at UniSQ was weak – with only 1 in 3 prospective students aware of the university and only half of students accepting a place offering. Less than 6% of applicants were preferencing UniSQ as their first choice to begin with. The university was being perceived as a second-tier, back-up option.
Our goal was to change that. To establish the brand as a university of choice – through a compelling, relevant brand and market positioning, that would improve traction among prospective students and key influencers quickly.
Brand perception at UniSQ was weak – with only 1 in 3 prospective students aware of the university and only half of students accepting a place offering. Less than 6% of applicants were preferencing UniSQ as their first choice to begin with. The university was being perceived as a second-tier, back-up option.
Our goal was to change that. To establish the brand as a university of choice – through a compelling, relevant brand and market positioning, that would improve traction among prospective students and key influencers quickly.
The University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) is based in one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia. However, it had been experiencing a recent drop in applications, particularly from the Year 12 school leaver segment.
THE SOLUTION
To support the University’s ambition for evolution, a new abbreviated moniker – UniSQ – was introduced and applied across all touchpoints. Our work covered brand architecture and positioning, a refreshed logo and visual identity system, brand guidelines, Tone of Voice and an extensive template suite.
The identity centred around a shield logo, featuring the stylised Bunya pine tree (synonymous with Southern Queensland) which represents growth, strength and pathways to excellence. Inspiration was also drawn from the journeys of First Nations communities, who traditionally gathered to celebrate harvest at the Bunya Festival. And a rich colour palette of dark plum and gold, inspired by the Toowoomba sunset, marked a new horizon for the University’s future.
The identity centred around a shield logo, featuring the stylised Bunya pine tree (synonymous with Southern Queensland) which represents growth, strength and pathways to excellence. Inspiration was also drawn from the journeys of First Nations communities, who traditionally gathered to celebrate harvest at the Bunya Festival. And a rich colour palette of dark plum and gold, inspired by the Toowoomba sunset, marked a new horizon for the University’s future.
THE RESULT
In the year since the new brand launched, the University witnessed solid growth in brand awareness and consideration scores, and renewed advocacy across its diverse community. The newly branded study website had an increase of 519,000 visits compared to the same period in 2021. A campaign targeting undergraduate school leavers saw ‘apply’ goals increase by over 400% year on year, while the click-to-open rate on eDMs increased by 12%. 2022 Open Days also saw a 5% visitor increase from recent physical events held.
Post-launch of the refreshed website, digital intelligence research company, Global Reviews, ranked the UniSQ website second out of 27 Australian university websites, evidence that the new brand’s visual identity and tone were cutting through to prospective students and users of the site.
Despite only being one year on from launch, ROI has been calculated at $1.38 million with the lift of additional Year 12 first preferences.
Furthermore, the rebrand delivered renewed confidence and pride to staff, students, alumni, and the communities they serve as they continue to activate the new brand and positioning and build their reputation for the future.
Services
Logo Design,
First Nations Collaboration,
Brand Strategy,
Verbal Identity,
Brand Identity
The identity centred around a shield logo, featuring the stylised Bunya pine tree (synonymous with Southern Queensland) which represented growth, strength and pathways to excellence.
Relevant Projects
Houston Group acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia. Our studio sits on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora nation and Wurundjeri people of the Kulin, and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
Check out our reconciliation action plan