VCU Branding Initiative Update

May 14, 2012

The Seal

The new design reflects VCU’s modernity while maintaining its historical significance.

The emphasis is on the university name, while MCV and RPI are less pronounced -- yet located at the heart of the seal.

This placement will be meaningful to all stakeholder groups.

Original seal designed in 1968 as an abstract representation of VCU.

New seal would transition into official university uses during the 2012-2013 academic year.

The Brand Mark

The addition of the seal subconsciously raises the perception of academic rigor associated with VCU.

The inclusion of MCV and RPI recognizes the heritage of Virginia Commonwealth University.

The emphasis of gold coloring within the seal allows it to visually connect to the VCU moniker, creating a more powerful logo.

Creative Concept

Brand Truth Statement

In a world that thrives on connections, urban environments are emerging as springboards to the most powerful ideas, innovations, experiences and opportunities.

Virginia Commonwealth University is not only located within the vibrant city of Richmond, but also is woven into the city’s fabric … Rarely have a university and a city had a more symbiotic relationship. Together, VCU and Richmond form a new and dynamic partnership driven by a mutual belief in the power of creativity.

Unmistakably, it is the ideal environment to prepare VCU students for the world they will encounter and the communities in which they will make an impact. It is the diversity of people, cultures, values, ideas, programs and experiences - and the extraordinary interactions between them - that prepare students for the future at an accelerated rate.

VCU was created to fulfill the vision of a great urban university. This ambitious vision has propelled VCU's explosive development and the formation of an environment that embraces world-class academic and research programs in disciplines as wide-ranging as health and the life sciences, the arts, business, technology and innovative interdisciplinary programs. This growth has attracted top-tier faculty, and positioned VCU as a distinguished institution for higher education and research with global impact.

Learning in isolation has had its day. VCU embraces a fast-paced, diverse, intensively engaged model of education. We leverage our connections across our urban environment to empower thinking beyond it. We prepare and enable our students to contribute meaningfully to their communities and to the world.

Distilled Positioning StatementFor students whose curiosity is as great as their ambition … whose desire to serve matches their desire to achieve … Virginia Commonwealth University provides an intensively engaging, high-quality learning experience in a stimulating urban environment with boundless opportunities for intellectual, creative and personal growth.

Make it real.All stakeholders associated with VCU have dreams of accomplishment beyond their immediate grasp, be it a student who aspires to a career in both medicine and sculpture, a donor who believes VCU should be home to a world-class contemporary arts institute, or a faculty member who is dedicated to gaining a better understanding of the human heart through translational research. In order to achieve these dreams, these people require dedication, motivation, passion, perseverance, creativity and intelligence. The community at VCU possesses these characteristics in abundance. They have what it takes to make their dreams a reality. They make it real.

Concept DirectionTake the energy and emotion behind “Our Time. Right Now.” and advance it.

Create a visual balance between academic rigor and confident swagger.

Create a platform that allows students or other VCU stakeholders to be the stars and tell their story.

Visual EffectTreat the B&W photography of students, faculty and alumni like high-end fashion photography, creating “celebrities” out of every stakeholder.

High-end photography enhances the image of quality and confident swagger without taking away from the image of academic rigor.

Use headlines to express academic quality with energetic attitude.

Advertising Layouts

Notes on imagesThe images used within the advertising layouts throughout the following slides are meant to be placeholders that exemplify the confidence and swagger of the students/ stakeholders presented (B/W), and the energy and vibrancy of the VCU community and realization of these stakeholders’ dreams (color).

These images will need to be replaced during production by images of real students and other stakeholders, and relevant landscapes that have been shot specifically for this branded concept.

Admissions

Admissions

General - Institutional

Alumni

Research

Research

Development

Brochure layout