Backstory

The university's communications efforts must convey the value of higher education to society. In addition, UT must clarify its key strengths and distinctive qualities and devise ways to communicate them more coherently and consistently to its constituencies at all levels.

- The University of Texas at Austin Commission of 125 Report

The Challenge: Unlike many colleges and universities, The University of Texas at Austin has the benefit of national name recognition, largely stemming from its well-known football, baseball and basketball teams. But for the university to assert itself among the leading public research universities in the nation it must promote a better understanding of its academic mission and its value and importance to society. This is where the brand comes in. Simply put, the brand is not our well-known name; it is what our name stands for. The brand helps us define for the public the significant contributions we make and how meaningful those contributions are to the world. Consistent and coherent communication enables us to break through clutter in an over-communicated society to build public understanding of the university.

Knowing that messaging, graphic symbols and visual imagery could be key assets in shaping public perception, The University of Texas at Austin introduced an integrated communication initiative in fall 2003 to provide an opportunity for all facets of the organization to communicate in a strategically coordinated, professional and consistent manner.