SILVERBACK® REBRAND BROOKLANDS TECHNICAL COLLEGE
Surrey Hills-based Silverback Studios Ltd have been named as the creative partner behind Brooklands Technical College’s bold rebrand as it heads into a brand new era of education in the community.
The leading FE college with campuses in Weybridge and Ashford, requested proposals from the creative industry to develop a new brand identity – an identity that would propel their status as a key player in the education sector and lay the foundations for expansion in the future. Chosen for their bold designs and credentials across multiple sectors, Silverback®’s services were enlisted to lead on the visual aspect of the rebranding, backed up by a key culture led strategy.
Project Rebrand
Key objectives for the project included uniting the three campuses with the possibility of expanding its portfolio of campuses in the future while also being able to stand out in the Further Education landscape. Attracting and engaging with employers and students alike, while appealing to a broad demographic of ages and backgrounds was vital. Additionally, buildingtrust and a reputation for inclusivity and the provision of outstanding technical courses deserving of its heritage and place in Surrey’s education landscape was paramount.
Founded in 1951 as Brooklands Technical College, the College decided to go back to its roots and return to its original name. A leading provider of technical courses for young people and adults, the college’s new name highlights its strength in providing the technical skills needed in the world of work. Furthermore, it reflects the provision of several new T-Levels, the industry equivalent of A-Levels.
New sector? No worries.
Strategic adviser and project leader Duncan Adams, of DJA Advisory Ltd, chose Silverback® to rebrand Brooklands Technical College after an extensive process based on their experience of creating impactful designs for clients and brands from multiple sectors. With the ambition of standing out in the crowd, Silverback®’s ability to transform brands from across the board, enables them to seamlessly transfer their skills from sector to sector, which made them the perfect fit to remodel, remould and remix Brooklands Technical College current creative template. In fact, this lack of specialism in a given-industry is what makes Silverback® so special – their niche is their client-focus and ambition to break from the conventional.
Silverback® engaged and spoke with over 50 stakeholders who were connected and linked to the college, from staff, Governors, councils, businesses to students of the college. This valuable data provided the Silverback® Troop with key information to help separate the college from its competitors, while ensuring that the brief’s objectives were maintained and its creative expectations exceeded.
Principal and CEO of Brooklands Technical College, Christine Ricketts, commented,
“We are delighted with results of our extensive work with Silverback Studios. Their ability to truly engage with us, understand our needs as a client, listen to our stakeholders and then reflect this in their outstanding creative work is to be highly commended. Further education is a challenging market in which to operate, with a very diverse range of audiences to cater for, and Silverback really have elevated our brand identity to a new level which gives us the perfect platform from which to grow further and continue to enhance our reputation.”
Creative Rollout
The bold, colourful and powerful palette used in the rebrand intends to help the college stand out in a crowded market of Further Education providers, while also serving as a reminder of its strength and excellence as a Technical educator. The final result highlights the college’s unique culture, values and the community it serves. Representing the six core sectors the college offers courses in, the new identity emphasises the truly collaborative and inclusive culture that Brooklands Technical College is renowned for.
Speaking about the project, Silverback® Studios’ Creative Director, Malcolm Gilbertson, said
“Whilst working on this project, there was a clear theme of inclusivity that became our ‘north star’. We categorised all of the courses into ‘sectors’, which is much more accessible to the student and parent demographic. This is ‘out of the norm’ in the FE industry, which is typically led by industry terminology. These 6 sectors then lead the creative for the colours, keeping it inclusive and bright, while the imagery bursts out to hero the thriving future. We’ve loved working on this and are excited to see how the brand evolves, together!”