Last updated: April 12, 2024
Project Overview
Goal 1 of the VPFO Strategic Communications Plan is to build VPFO culture by helping the VPFO community see themselves as part of the portfolio, and to be engaged in the VPFO Strategic Plan. This project also aligns with UBC’s Strategic Plan: People and Places – Strategy 3: Thriving Communities by supporting the ongoing development of sustainable, healthy and connected campuses and communities.
The VPFO is a vital part of UBC. The VPFO identity framework intends to create a consolidated look and feel to visually express the identity of our portfolio by building strength and clarity through a consolidated and consistent approach to communications, storytelling and the visual applications of our look and feel framework within the context of the UBC parent brand.
Project Outcomes
The goal of this project is to create a unifying identity for the VPFO to help the campus community further recognize what the VPFO does and how our work supports all areas of the university to make UBC’s academic mission possible. The project will be an extension of elements of the parent UBC Brand, and include a visual toolkit and identity guideline, followed by an implementation strategy and plan.
The project is broken down into four key deliverables:
- Identity (look and feel) framework
- Identity governance guide
- Implementation strategy
- Implementation plan
Identity (look and feel) framework
The VPFO has little differentiation as a business unit, separate from the academic activities of the university. There is an opportunity to create a consolidated look and feel to visually express the identity of the VPFO while clearly working as a supporting part of the UBC brand architecture.
The UBC brand is instantly recognizable to the global market. The intent is to continue to lead with the UBC brand and its elements while building a complementary and supporting VPFO identity (look and feel).
Solutions may include graphical elements such as: illustrations, icons, colours, images, shapes, and/or graphical expressions of a tone and voice. The new VPFO look and feel will be used in support of the UBC Brand elements on a variety of collateral, including websites, newsletters, digital signs, posters, uniforms, etc.
Identity governance guide
To support the intended use of the Identity (look and feel) framework, an Identity governance guide will be developed to document the look and feel framework, the reasons and approach to guide decision-making, and specific guidelines to deliver a VPFO identity in an on-brand experience.
The visual identity will help communicate the essence of who we are and what we do, and the identity governance guide will provide the guidelines and best practices to help VPFO staff confidently execute the new look and feel, and strengthen and unify the experience of our staff and the broader University community.
Implementation strategy + plan
Upon completion of the Identity framework and governance guide, a strategy will be developed to implement the new look and feel to current channels and assets within the VPFO. We will also be working with VPFO senior leaders to identify areas that may require customized solutions and/or further identity work for their division/department. The implementation strategy will help inform the development of an implementation plan.
The implementation plan will be a systematic approach to auditing current branded templates and assets that will need to be updated, and outline the different phases of integrating the Identity framework to the VPFO. The plan will create a roadmap to guide the VPFO through the ADKAR model of change – Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, Reinforcement.
Project Contact
If you are interested in learning more about this project, please reach out to Yvonne Kwok, Communications Manager at yvonne.kwok@ubc.ca.