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A university rediscovers its identity

The goal was clear. Ravensburg-Weingarten University wanted to increase its appeal. To do so, it planned to revitalize its brand for the future and redesign its website. But on what basis? Who should we ask to understand the university’s profile and positioning? We agreed with our client: we’d simply ask everyone. For three weeks, approximately 3,600 students, professors, and staff members on campus participated in an open-space workshop to collaboratively define the university’s self-image. The participation and results were overwhelming.
At the end of a consulting process that included additional workshops, the president, the chancellor, and we held the brand-new mission statement in our hands. It provided first-rate strategic guidance for the subsequent brand development. And it was an important step for the university’s identity. Because this document reflected the self-image of the stakeholders across the entire university.

New brand, new website, new impact

How should the brand look to effectively convey the appealing tension between regional identity and international reach? We bridged the two poles between the logo and the organization’s name. As the heraldic animal of the city of Weingarten, the Ravensburg district, and the state of Baden-Württemberg, the lion symbolizes the university’s roots. And what about its international character? It is expressed in the English name “Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences,” with the abbreviation RWU.
The newly designed corporate identity for all brand touchpoints is so powerful and well-conceived that it immediately won the German Design Award 2020.

RWU is leading the way.

The website is designed for high technical performance and is accessible and secure across all areas. Forty editors independently maintain the website with up-to-date content using the Drupal content management system. The pages follow clearly defined user journeys tailored to diverse target audiences.
This is how attractive and forward-looking educational organizations can design their global presence. And this is how much fun it can be for us and our clients to reinvent ourselves as a brand. See for yourself: www.rwu.de