Your Brand Is More Than a Logo. It’s Your Leverage.
In a crowded higher ed landscape, your brand is your institution’s most powerful asset. It shapes perceptions, drives decisions, and differentiates you from the sea of “good enough” options.
At Frankel, we help colleges and universities define, express, and activate their brands, from foundational strategy to full visual identity systems. The result? Brands that are authentic, unified, and built to perform across every platform, audience, and moment.
Brand Platforms
We uncover what makes your institution distinct and build a brand foundation that aligns internal stakeholders and resonates with external audiences. This includes brand positioning, personality, messaging pillars, tone of voice, and key proof points.
Naming & Taglines
Whether you’re naming a new college, initiative, or institutional campaign, we craft names and taglines that are memorable, meaningful, and built to last.
Visual Identity Systems
We create identity systems that are both beautiful and functional. From refreshed logos and academic marks to color palettes, type systems, icons, and usage guidelines, we ensure your brand looks as strong as it is.
Messaging Frameworks
Strong brands know what to say, how to say it, and when. We build message maps for your priority audiences: prospective students, parents, faculty, donors, alumni, peers, and beyond.
Internal Rollout & Buy-In
A brand can’t live externally until it’s embraced internally. We design rollout plans that help your campus community understand, adopt, and advocate for the new brand.
Campaign Activation
Once the brand is built, we help you bring it to life, across student recruitment, digital campaigns, donor engagement, academic programs, and institutional storytelling.
Built for Higher Ed. Designed to Perform.
Branding in higher education isn’t about flashy gimmicks or corporate templates. It’s about surfacing your authentic story and building an identity that works across every touchpoint, from admissions brochures to academic journals to alumni appeals.
We understand the politics, the pace, and the pressures of working in higher ed. And we know how to move institutions forward—together.
- Strategy Meets Storytelling: We combine deep institutional research with bold creative thinking, so your brand doesn’t just look great, it says something meaningful.
- Grounded in Reality: We help uncover what’s true, not just what’s trendy. Our brand work is built to endure change and withstand internal scrutiny.
- Collaborative by Design: We engage faculty, staff, students, and leadership, creating alignment and momentum along the way.
- Trusted by Institutions of All Sizes: From flagship publics to small privates, community colleges to emerging online programs, we know how to build brands that scale.
Whether you’re refreshing your identity, clarifying your message, or building a brand from the ground up, we’re here to help you stand out, and stand for something. Let’s talk.
