Brand Programme

Improving our brand to enable our strategy to 2035

For generations, The University of Manchester has brought together brilliant minds to develop ideas and innovations that have changed the world.

Our strategy to 2035 builds on this history and sets our ambition to be a great civic university for the 21st century, creating knowledge for the public good, locally and globally. A clear, distinctive brand is essential to achieving this.

What do we mean by ‘brand’ and ‘reputation’?

Our brand (who we are, why we exist and what makes us distinctive) and reputation (how people think and feel about us, shaped by what we do and experiences with us) work together to influence whether people choose to study, work, partner and invest in us, and how we are positioned in rankings.

Brand is a strategic tool

Our brand is controlled by us and one of the University’s most valuable assets. Brand sets the expectation of what people can expect from us, and can strengthen our global reputation over time. 

A strong, clear and consistent brand can:

• Articulate what makes Manchester distinctive.
• Attract students, colleagues, alumni, donors and partners.
• Differentiate ourselves in and out of sector.
• Maintain relevance in an increasingly digital-first world.
• Build emotional connection and trust.
• Support a ‘one university’ approach with a shared institutional story that reflects our student and colleague experience.

Our brand story has the power to create standout in a highly competitive market – we all have a role to play in telling it. Our existing brand needs to better define what makes us distinctive and our visual identity is not accessible or adaptable enough for a digital-first world. If we do nothing, we risk losing relevance and falling behind.

The Brand Programme 

Throughout 2026/27, the Brand Programme will deliver a series of improvements to strengthen and modernise the University’s brand in support of our strategy to 2035.

Informed by a comprehensive brand review and insights from the strategy engagement, our brand refresh will create: 

• A clear, shared brand idea that captures who we are and what makes Manchester distinctive.
• A modern visual identity (including logo, colour, font) that is accessible and fit for digital use, building on the dynamic, fresh energy of our strategy.
• Tools and systems to help colleagues apply the brand easily and consistently.
• Ways to measure brand and reputation to understand how audiences think and feel about us, and track progress against strategy outcomes.

This work is core to delivering From Manchester for the world and part of our first three-year work package (PDF document).

The Brand Programme is being led by University Marketing in close collaboration with colleagues, students, alumni, donors and partners. There will be opportunities to get involved throughout the coming year and we'll update this page with the latest project information.

If you have any questions, please contact: brand@manchester.ac.uk.