Schools, colleges and other education providers compete in a highly competitive market. They would like to attract the best students and staff to their institution which in turn leads to a positive learning and teaching environment, strong results and respect amongst the community. Their branding, as in other industry sectors, is closely linked to this and is therefore a powerful weapon to use to separate themselves from the competition.

The difficulty in the state sector of course is limited funds. Many schools and colleges cut costs by utilising internal skills or even pupils or students to produce their prospectuses, websites and other literature. The result can often be poorly designed material without a clear target audience, aimed at children, prospective parents, staff and governors all combined. The prospectuses are occasionally reproduced internally using desktop laser printers or even photocopiers – these are expensive printing methods which produce below average material. Their online presence can often be outdated or worse still, unavailable in some browsers. The private sector is different as they receive funds for each pupil or student. Their material tends to be professionally designed. You could argue that their sector is more competitive as there survival is based upon the fees they receive.

We recently completed a prospectus for the University of Huddersfield on behalf of Study Group, a global provider of schools, colleges, universities and placements for international students. The prospectus promotes the international study centre where
students learn english before commencing their degree course. The design adhered to the university's branding guidelines and emphasised the main selling points of the programme. The audience was male and female international students aged 18–40. The prospectus was well received while numbers of students applying to the university has increased. See the case study Study Group.

Launchpad have extensive experience in the creation of branding, prospectuses and websites. We provide solutions that meet your requirements. Contact us today for a free branding audit.