HOGENT — A college with character. Branding for the community of bold-spirited teachers and students.
Letters represent characters. They are the visual building blocks of the brand concept. They provide a window onto the school, society and the multifaceted lives of its students. They are the core characters of the brand identity that can be applied to any contextual interpretation.
HOGENT's recognizable photography shows people in their student life. The individuality is found in the images by shooting them from interesting perspectives and choosing atypical cut-outs in post-production.
Hogeschool Gent, also known as HOGENT, is a college for students with character. Students who wish to make their own mark on society. Over the academic years, HOGENT has become an extensive organisation in which, each year, 17,000 students develop their futures.
There is no denying the fact that the evolutionary growth of HOGENT caused a natural proliferation of communication styles and types across the many faculties, courses and departments. The existing house style felt dated and was no longer aligned with its key audience: the students. It was time for some expert refinement of HOGENT’s identity.
We challenged HOGENT to consider itself from different angles and to make bold choices where necessary. We began by organising an intensive strategic preliminary phase to create the brand foundations and identify all touchpoints. The goal was to state clear brand values and a clear brand promise as the basis for one powerful brand concept. HOGENT was reduced to its purest form and individual character. Character quite literally.
Powerful typography plays the starring role in the new graphic identity of HOGENT. The letters represent the graphic building blocks of the brand concept. These offer a vision of the school, society and the multifaceted world of its students. They form the heart of the brand identity that can be applied in every context. They exude simplicity, never detracting from the impact of the message.
HOGENT’s recognisable photography shows people in their own environment. Students as they are, and not necessarily in school surroundings. Their individuality is recaptured in the images by photographing them from interesting angles and atypical cropping in post-production.
