Modulator: Brand Fresh-up for the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland

The University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland FHNW comprises nine universities at the locations Basel, Brugg-Windisch, Muttenz, Solothurn and Olten. The educational institution employs more than 3200 people and teaches over 13300 students. In order to meet the digital change and the requirements of contemporary digital communication, an optimization of the 17-year-old corporate design was necessary. Modulator was commissioned to make the visual appearance fit for the digital future. After a holistic analysis, a new layout was developed that combines the necessary adjustments. The developed full-responsive layout principle can be applied to any dynamic and static format.

The basic elements such as fonts, colors, information graphics, letterheads, icons, PowerPoint and InDesign templates were newly developed or - where already available - specified and adapted. The redesigned brand fundamentals and brand guidelines are now described in a 76-page digital manual. Parallel to the redesign, the FHNW launched an internal branding portal on which, in addition to a new image database, all guidelines, templates, icons and word/image marks are made easily accessible.

The result is a dynamically functioning corporate design optimized for cross-media use. A step-by-step implementation enabled a resource-saving, visually seamless launch.