The story of the brand identity we created for Mansfield College at Oxford University.
All stories are fuller with different perspectives, so we’re featuring a chat between our Creative Director Nancy Poller, and Mansfield’s Head of Communications, Jane Waghorn – who was almost as new to Oxford University as we were.
Nancy
Thanks for talking to us Jane.
How did you know branding was one of the first things you needed to do?
Jane
Mansfield’s got this amazing ethos and community, but the branding didn’t quite match the reality
We were saying all the right things, but visually and verbally, it didn’t land and it wasn’t given the clarity and the confidence that the college deserved. We had huge plans to do some great things, but I knew we needed a really strong foundation before we could try to elevate Mansfield above its image.
Nancy
So when you started, you saw an opportunity to show more about what made the college special?
Jane
Yes, my role in communications within the college was very new. One of my first objectives was to review everything and create a new website.
Having looked at where Mansfield was, the brand needed a refresh and to be looked at in much greater detail before we could embark upon the new website.
Nancy
So it was about getting that foundation in place.
Why did you feel it was important to do a deep dive on the branding before commissioning a new website?
Jane
A website is only as strong as the brand behind it, isn’t it? I wanted it to fully reflect who we are
If we just built a site on top of a brand that wasn’t fully defined, we’d have the same issues in terms of clarity, consistency and messaging. I wanted it to feel genuinely Mansfield – the values, character and strengths – and the brand was pivotal to that. We needed a real deep dive before we could commission a new website.
Nancy
You wanted not just to make a good website, but go deeper?
So much more than just improving the functionality and making it easy to use?
Jane
Absolutely, I wanted to change what the website was and what its purpose was – doing the branding work first helps you define your audiences better
It means you can articulate the brand to the web agency in the right way – the vision we created together of what we wanted the brand to look and sound like carried through perfectly to the development of the website
Nancy
Looking back to the brand discovery process, we worked collaboratively with a range of different voices across the college – more so than a website project would?
Jane
Thinking back to the tenders we had for the website project, there was a bit of discovery in there, but not to the extent that you would go with a brand project
Nancy
And were there any other opportunities that you saw in investing in branding?
You mentioned getting the foundations right for other areas, not just the website?
Jane
For me it was a chance to join everything up – consistency, a shared look, a shared tone, a shared message
People were still using different variations of the logo and we didn’t have brand guidelines. When I did a full communications review – looking at everything internally and externally – you wouldn’t be able to see that they were from the same organisation.
So it gave us an opportunity to have a clearer story and visual identity that made day-to-day comms so much easier and consistent. And having templates for different documents and external uses has really helped – it’s given everyone a really useful toolkit to tell that shared story.
Nancy
Yes, because it’s not just looking at what people see on the website – it’s also what they see when they’re walking around the college or when they get an email from you
Jane
Yes, building all of that recognition that makes us look and sound really confident in our messaging
So you can see that the materials a student might see when they come on open day aligns with what they see around on-site because of the signage, what they then get in their offer holder comms… it’s all consistent.
Nancy
Have there been any outcomes that you weren’t expecting?
Jane
Oh loads!
It’s given us a much sharper sense of who we are and we’re getting noticed for the way we present ourselves
It’s given a new life and a new consistency to our social media feeds.
We’re constantly getting flagged in Oxford for having one of the best websites visually, the articulation of Mansfield and who we are
And we’ve had so many comments from alumni and people saying we’re doing really really great things. We were always doing really great things and we were always telling people we were doing really great things, but the message wasn’t landing because it wasn’t as engaging.
Nancy
So do you think that perceptions of the college have changed?
Jane
Definitely yes, people understand us more quickly and clearly – the brand’s made our strengths so much more visible
So alumni are looking back and it’s reminding them of what Mansfield was to them when they were there – and that’s a huge part of the way that fundraising works as well – it’s about how someone feels. That’s exactly what a good brand is – it should make you feel something. It’s not about pretty colours – it’s what’s behind it.
The brand identity has enabled us to be more confident, speak more confidently
The tone of voice is now really confident and fun and simple, and very not Oxford college at all. We’ve got a really, really good story and some really great alumni who have gone on to do some great things. Brilliant stories of how we’ve changed people’s lives.
Nancy
I have one more question.
What was your favourite part of the project?
Jane
So I think going back to the discovery phase, you took the time in that discovery phase to like spend time at college, look at the buildings, trawling the archives, talking to staff, students, academics, you were really able to get under the skin of what Mansfield is about.
What I love is that you can really see Mansfield in the brand – exactly what a good brand should do
It should articulate visually what it’s about, what it means and I think it does it perfectly. The colours have just been so thoughtfully chosen, they evoke memories or hint at parts of the college, the shapes… I liked the process of coming up with something that really reflected the college visually as well as its underlying identity all in one.
Nancy
There was so much to draw on – not just visually around the college (which obviously is beautiful and there’s so much inspiration) but also the connection everyone had to the college
It’s not just a place you work or study – there was so much more to it.
Thank you Jane – we loved it
Think you might need a brand refresh before you create a new website?