The Branding & Creative Office seeks to elevate awareness and perception of Southern Virginia University by promoting a strong brand identity to key University constituents and stakeholders, including current and prospective students, their parents, alumni, faculty and staff, and other donors and friends of the University.
The vision for Southern Virginia University’s brand is set by the University President. Under the direction of the Chief Marketing Officer, the Branding & Creative Director oversees and carries out the vision for the brand and ensures that all items using the University’s name, color, or logo align with the University’s Brand Standards.
A brand is more than a name or a logo—it’s a way to connect emotionally with customers, become irreplaceable, and create lifelong relationships … A strong brand stands out in a densely crowded marketplace.
“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company.”— Marty Neumeier, The Brand Gap
“A brand is a promise.”—President Reed N. Wilcox.
Brand identity is an essential part of branding that appeals to the senses—you can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, watch it move. A brand identity is made of visual elements such as logos, colors, typography, and imagery. The purpose of brand identity is to unify disparate elements into whole systems that fuel recognition and amplify differentiation.
Successful Brand Identities are:
Organizations develop brand standards and guidelines to promote an authentic, coherent, and consistent look and feel for all visual elements of the brand identity. These brand standards apply to all printed and digital marketing materials, promotional products, and apparel, including athletic apparel and uniforms. Southern Virginia University’s Brand Standards are available on the University wesbite at svu.edu/brand.