Abstract

Universities are under intense pressure to set themselves apart from others, they are rebranding and creating new corporate visual identities, even though not all of them have been all that successful. For those who have successfully rebranded, they provide guidelines which give a broad overview of the brand and their various identities. These brand guidelines sometimes called brand style guide, or visual identity guide were thematically analysed to provide a different perspective to HEI branding - not from students or other stakeholders perspective but how the Universities sees their brand and wants it conveyed. Analysis indicated that Universities were rebranding to refresh their brand and be more appealing, they want to remain dynamic, contemporary, and relevant while some rebranded when they were awarded the awarded University status. Logo, colours, typeface and photography were identified as components of CVI, a distinct typology of logo and typeface were presented. Universities are using these graphics elements to communicate their brands and project a cohesive and harmonious look across all relevant media. Managerial implications with regards bespoke brand identities and ideas for further research were presented.