At the nexus of wayfinding and design lies branding. In modern education, as in any other sector, a strong, marketable brand is the key to competing in a crowded market. For Dudley College in the West Midlands, the route to a marketable brand was through the adoption of powerful signage and wayfinding tools.

The college recently launched a vocational training centre, called Evolve. To give the new enterprise and the existing sixth form centre a strong identity, Dudley brought in branding experts Happy Giraffe and signage consultants Signlex. This resulted in the covering of nearly every wall space with supergraphics and interesting wayfinding imagery designed to both engage students and provide information.

Jodie Price at Happy Giraffe who oversaw the artwork for the project, says, “Colleges must now be fit to compete in order to contribute to economic prosperity. Enhancing the environment in which students learn with stimulating visuals, provides inspiration to achieve ambitions. I believe the new branding at Dudley College supports its reputation of excellence which makes students feel good about both their college of choice and future prospects.”

The marketing department at Dudley College says that the signage project was designed both to create engaging learning spaces and to lend a strong brand to the campus and enhance the college’s marketing efforts.

To read more about wayfinding, see this month's Brand:Rebrand story.