These guidelines contain detailed information on all elements of our brand. They:
Our brand sets us apart from other institutions in the higher education sector and highlights our achievements. It helps us connect students, colleagues and partners with our journey and our ambitions.
Some elements of our brand guidelines are essential. These include our logo; colour palette; typeface; and brand personality, achieved through tone of voice.
Further optional elements bring to life and strengthen our brand. These include photography, video and graphic devices.
Our brand guidelines are for everyone who produces or commissions work for the University, for internal or external audiences. They contain all the information an external agency will need to create work in line with our brand. When you brief work to external suppliers, always link to these brand guidelines.
For major marketing projects, the Marketing team creates campaign toolkits with assets and templates, in line with these brand guidelines.
If you need any further help, please email brand@mmu.ac.uk.
The Manchester Metropolitan University brand is much more than a badge or logo.
It’s our public face and voice – the unique, memorable identity that sums up what we stand for, and distinguishes us from other universities.
The University’s brand is vital to our reputation in the highly competitive global higher education market. We’re a complex organisation and we need to present ourselves consistently and professionally in order to be recognised.
Our brand is reflected in student and staff experiences. It’s a central part of our strategic projects, innovations and future developments. It influences how people think of us, how we behave as an organisation, and how the wider world responds to us.
Applied consistently, it helps us make strong emotional and rational connections with the people whose lives we touch. It’s important for all of us to get to know our brand, and how to use and care for it.
These guidelines provide the framework for us to tell our story.
The University takes a ‘master brand’ approach.
We use our brand for all activities to create a strong single voice and identity.
This approach gives our large and complex organisation a coherent and consistent ‘external face’ and maximises our impact.
We have a limited number of approved sub-brands. Go to Working in partnership for more information.
Our brand, sits within the wider framework of the University’s mission and five strategic themes.
Our brand essence captures who we are and what we stand for. It helps us stand out from the crowd. We’ve defined it as:
Ambitious: Setting the bar higher to make more of an impact.
Manchester: Evoking a strong sense of place. We’re proud to be a key part of our amazing city, and share its creative, pioneering, hard-working attitude.
Authentic: We’re down-to-earth and inspired. We share powerful, genuine stories about our students, employees, partners and alumni.
Inclusive: We work hard to craft a better world for all.
Driving change: We make it happen.
We shape the world around us every day with our applied knowledge and research, strong workplace connections, and ethos.
Our brand personality is made up of the characteristics that reflect who we are and how we want the world to see us.
These collective traits help differentiate us. They’re at the heart of all our communications, captured by our tone of voice and imagery:
The University’s brand guidelines support our brand strategy.
The Manchester Metropolitan University brand is supported by the Brand, Campaigns and Events team. The team is based in the central Marketing department and works collaboratively with a group of Brand Champions across the University, to bring the brand to life. The Brand Champions receive regular training, so that they can support the Brand team in providing guidance to colleagues, on applying the University brand correctly.
A brand panel oversees our brand strategy, and makes decisions regarding:
A formal brand approval process covers all major activity such as promotional material for recruitment campaigns. Staff can find further information about how to access this service on the university intranet.
It is vital that all our assets align to best practice standards of equality, diversity and inclusion, as our vision is to make our services accessible for everyone. View our marketing guidance on equality, diversity and inclusion.