Rochester Institute of Technology is a privately endowed, coeducational university located in Rochester, New York. RIT enrolls 15,900 undergraduate and 3,100 graduate students on its main campus, with an additional 2,400 students are enrolled at its global locations. In addition to its diverse academic portfolio, the university is a leader in cooperative education and in preparing deaf and hard-of-hearing students for successful careers.
The university had evolved from a transactional technical school in Rochester to a teaching and research institution with global locations in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo. As RIT grew, its story had gotten complicated and inconsistent, both visually and verbally.
The new brand needed to communicate several messages. 1. Honor the diverse experiences of over 135,000+ alumni. 2. Showcase the wide range of programs from art and design to STEM and business and now research. 3. Highlight RIT’s renowned co-op program as a hallmark of the educational experience. 4. Reflect the diversity, innovation and creativity that it’s been known for since its beginning. To accomplish this RIT’s new president was calling for a clear and distinct articulation of RIT’s story — one that would elevate its current standing and global reputation. “Capture the innovative spirit that permeates campus and communicate the unusual level of diversity that allows creativity
to thrive.”
Working side by side with the university as a new strategic plan was crafted, we did a thoughtful and thorough audit of their current brand. What did we discover? An opportunity to not only create a new brand story, but also the value of a cohesive brand architecture, uniting what once were disparate entities into one universal family.
