KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF ART AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

FACULTY OF ART

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION DESIGN

STANDARDIZED BRAND MANUAL DESIGN FOR

KNUST

BY

Nancy Adarkwa-Yiadom -5701616

Tracy Ampah Oppong -5717616

Prince Cosby Acquah -5701216

Abdul Raheem Ishaak Nuamah-5715216

Clement Ayidaana Akanborige-5706816

BACHELOR OF ARTS (COMMUNICATION DESIGN)

JUNE 2020

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 DECLARATION

We hereby declare that this thesis has been composed by members of this group and that it has not
been submitted in whole or in part by any other person from any previous degree. Except where
due reference or acknowledgement anywhere in this document has been given. The project
submitted is entirely our own.

Nancy Adarkwa-Yiadom 5701616 Tracy Ampah Oppong 5717616

Student Name Index Number Student Name Index Number

………………………. …………… T.O.A

……………………. 25/06/2020
……………
Signature Date Signature Date

Abdul Raheem Ishaak Nuamah 5715216 Prince Cosby Acquah 5701216

Student Name Index Number Student Name Index Number
………………………. …………… ………………………. ……………
Signature Date Signature Date

Clement Ayidaana Akanborige 5706816

Student Name Index Number
C.A.A
………………………. 25/06/2020
……………
Signature Date

Certified by Certified by
Professor Daniel Ohene-Adu Dr. Eric Francis Eshun
Supervisor Head of Department
………………………. …………… ………………………. ……………
Signature Date Signature Date

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 DEDICATION

First and foremost, we dedicate this project to the Almighty God who has been our guide
throughout, from the beginning to the end of this project. All thanks is given to Him.

This project is also dedicated to the families and friends of the project group members. Our sincere
gratitude to our supportive parents, who have been our backbone throughout the commencement
of the work till the end and also for the encouraging words they shared with us in times of despair.

And lastly, we would also like to dedicate this project to our supportive friends who have served
us with various forms critiques from the start to the finish of the project. They were very helpful
and for that we are grateful.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to give thanks to everyone who took time off their busy schedules to assist us in times of
need. Special thanks to Mr. Frank A.K.A “Abodie”, the senior designer at the KNUST printing
press, who was more than generous to us by constantly meeting with us and providing us with
substantial information on this project. We greatly appreciate you. We would also like to thank
our Supervisor, Prof Daniel Ohene-Adu who guided us through the project. Also, lecturers from
our department whom we sort consultation from, Dr. Amoako, Mr. Benjamin Prempeh and Mr.
Badu, we would like to acknowledge them for their input. We would like to thank Frederick
Twum-Adjei, our course mate who assisted us with the taking of the photographs in our project.
Dickson Henaku Amoako as well, who was of great help to us when it came to producing a
hardcopy of our project. And lastly, we want to say a big thank you to Kluivert Boakye Duah
(Statistics Department) and Francis Awuah (Mathematics Department) for assisting us with our
data analysis. We truly appreciate everyone’s efforts.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………………..ii

DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………..iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………………iv

TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………………………………………v-viii

CHAPTER ONE (1): INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY…………………………………………………………………..1

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT………………………………………………………………….5

1.3 AIM………………………………………………………………………………………….5

1.4 OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………………………………….6

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS………………………………………………………………….6

1.6 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY………………………………………………………………6

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY………………………………………………………….7

1.7.1 ACADEMIC SIGNIFICANCE………………………………………………………...7

1.7.2 PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE………………………………………………………..8

1.8 LIMITATION………………………………………………………………………………...8

1.9 DELIMITATION……………………………………………………………………………..8

1.10 METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………………………..9

CHAPTER TWO (2): LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 BRAND/BRANDING…………………………………………………………………………10

2.1.1 BRAND………………………………………………………………………………….10

2.1.2 BRAND ELEMENTS……………………………………………………………………11

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 2.1.3 BRAND PERSONALITY……………………………………………………………...12

2.1.4 BRAND IMAGE………………………………………………………………………..13

2.1.5 BRAND EQUITY………………………………………………………………………14

2.2 CORPORATE VISUAL IDENTITY…………………………………………………………14

2.2.1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………… 14

2.2.2 CORPORATE VISUAL IDENTITY……………………………………………………15

2.2.3 BRAND ELEMENTS AS PART OF A CORPORATE VISUAL IDENTITY…………16

2.2.4 LOGO……………………………………………………………………………………17

2.2.5 TYPOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………18

2.2.6 NAME OF INSTITUTION ……………………………………………………………..18

2.2.7 TAGLINE………………………………………………………………………………..18

2.3 BRAND MANUAL…………………………………………………………………………… 19

2.3.1 MANUAL………………………………………………………………………………..19

2.3.2 THE ELEMENTS OF CVI MANUAL…………………………………………………..19

2.3.3 LOGO…………………………………………………………………………………….19

2.3.4 LOGO POSITION AND EXCLUSION ZONE………………………………………….20

2.3.5 COLOUR PALETTE……………………………………………………………………..22

2.3.6 TYPOGRAPHY…………………………………………………………………………..23

2.3.7 PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES………………………………………………………..23

2.3.8 USAGE……………………………………………………………………………………26

2.3.9 DO’s AND DON’Ts………………………………………………………………………26

2.3.10 THE DON’Ts…………………………………………………………………………….27

2.3.11 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………..29

2.4 THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT…………………………………………………………………29

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2.4.1 THE STUDENT AS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY………………………………………...29

2.4.2 STUDENT PERCEPTION OF THE UNIVERSITY BRAND……………………………….30

2.4.3 BRAND ORIENTATION……………………………………………………………………..31

2.4.4 STUDENT LOYALTY TO THE UNIVERSITY BRAND…………………………………...31

2.4.5 STUDENT WORD OF MOUTH……………………………………………………………...32

2.4.6 STUDENT SATISFACTION………………………………………………………………….32

CHAPTER THREE (3): DESIGN METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………..34

3.2 OVERVIEW OF STUDY………………………………………………………………………...34

3.3 THE TARGET GROUP…………………………………………………………………………..34

3.4 DESIGN INSTRUMENTS……………………………………………………………………….35

3.5 DESIGN OVERVIEW……………………………………………………………………………35

3.6 DESIGN LAYOUT DESCRIPTION……………………………………………………………..36

3.7 OUTCOME……………………………………………………………………………………….46

3.8 DELIMITATION…………………………………………………………………………………47

CHAPTER FOUR (4): DATA ANALYSIS

4.1 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………48

4.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF STUDENTS…………………………………………….49

4.2.1 GENDER AND YEAR OF RESPONDENTS………………………………………………49

4.2.2 HOW RELEVANT DO YOU CONSIDER THE UNIVERSITY’S IDENTITY IN YOUR DAILY
LIFE……………………………………………………………………………………………………49

4.2.3 YEAR OF RESPONDENTS………………………………………………………………..52

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4.3 KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS ON THE VISUAL IDENTITY………………………………..53

4.3.1 HOW RELEVANT DO YOU CONSIDER THE UNIVERSITY'S IDENTITY IN YOUR DAILY
LIFE……………………………………………………………………………………………………53

4.4 KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS ON THE VISUAL ELEMENTS………………………………56

4.4.1 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGE: USE OF FONT………………………………………….56

4.4.2 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGES: KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE COLOUR

PRINCIPLES……………………………………………………………………………………………57

4.4.3 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGES: NEED TO KNOW THE THEM……………………….58

4.4.4 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGES: NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION…………………..59

4.4.5 WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS YOU SEE THE ELEMENTS BEING USED

ON ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..60

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 4.1A……………………..50 4.1B………………………51 4.1C…………………………51

TABLE 4.2……………………………………….52 TABLE 4.3……………………………………..55

TABLE 4.4……………………………………….57 TABLE 4.5……………………………………..58

TABLE 4.6……………………………………….59 TABLE 4.7……………………………………..60

TABLE 4.8……………………………………………………………………………………………….61

CHAPTER FIVE (5): SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 SUMMARY………………………………………………………………………………................63

5.2 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………….......64

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………………………………………………65

5.4 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………................65

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 CHAPTER ONE (1)

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Brand is a name or an image that has been created in the minds of individuals about a product, a
service or an institution? Additionally, A brand can be defined as a set of tangible and intangible
attributes designed to create awareness and identity, and to build the reputation of a product,
service, person, place, or organization.”(Sammut-Bonnici, 2015). Brands are said to be triggered
when people are exposed to the visual identities of the particular company, organization,
establishment or institution. These visual identities include, the name of the company, the logo of
the company, the colours and even other recognizable traits of the establishment such as, tagline
and also the typography. A brand name is the basis for brand awareness and communication
(Keller, Heckler & Houston, 1998). (Seimiene and Kamarauskaite, 2015) .

As corporate institutions become (Bosch, 2006) numerous in the world market, there is a need for
institutions to distinguish themselves from other existing and developing institutions, that is why
branding is crucial for corporate institutions. ‘Corporate Branding as A Strategic Tool In A
Competitive Market’ that “Firms must decide how they want the brand ’s identity to be perceived,
before it can be communicated internally and externally because corporate branding is identified
as the way in which an organization communicates its identity. Corporate visual identity (CVI)
has been recognized as important in business (Bromley, 2001), representing as it does the
organization’s attempts to communicate with its broader publics. CVI includes various constituent
parts, including the logo, colour and typeface, company name, and tagline (van den Bosch, de Jong
and Elving, 2006). (‫גרינבלט‬, 2012). The brand visibility also tells a particular story in the minds of
people. Meaning the brand has established itself in the right place with the right elements to give
it the needed boost. Elaborating further on this theme, CVI supports visibility by emphasizing the
all other brands.(Botha, Farshid and Pitt, 2011). . The use of visual identity elements on a variety
of carriers increases the organization’s visibility. It became evident that it also comprises many
intangible characteristics, such as the culture of an organization and the behaviour of its
members(Bosch, 2006). As corporate institutions emerge, it is expected that, it directs a lot of
focus on its visual elements. These visual elements assist the institution in communicating and
conveying its messages effectively and efficiently through the standardization of these elements.

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CVI elements are used in communication and on a variety of applications, such as buildings,
vehicles and corporate clothing. In general, CVI provides recognition (Balmer and Gray, 2000)
and an organization must have very strong reasons before dissociating itself from an established
CVI.(Bosch and Jong, 2001) . Corporate institutions’ reputations must be evaluated well and one
of the ways it can be effectively evaluated is through an established corporate visual identity.

Finally, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science And Technology is a renowned university in

Kumasi, Ashanti Region, Ghana, popularly known as KNUST or Tech. It is the largest university
in the Kumasi metropolis and Ashanti Region as a whole. It has built its reputation on its academic
excellence, its roots, architecture, current achievements, future ambitions and other subjective
views. KNUST as an academic institution is considered a corporate institution as well. KNUST
has a CVI, where the name of the institution has been established, the logo, tagline, typography
and colours have also been set. KNUST as our case study, we realized the absence of consistency
in its brand elements (logo, typography, colours amongst others). As stated earlier, CVI elements
assist the institution in communicating and conveying its messages effectively and efficiently. It
may not be seen as relevant for the ordinary man until one’s credibility is questioned. What
embolden us, as researchers to delve into this area was when suspicions were raised over two
student’s documents upon going to the German embassy and being refused. This was due to the
fact that, the two students had different layout of information concerning the University’s CVI;
differences in colour scheme and logo but all coming from one institution, KNUST.

The Name, KNUST is an abbreviation of Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And

Technology. The name has been established in the minds and heart of people. According to van
Riel and Balmer (1997), three components of the corporate identity mix are believed to influence
image and reputation: organizational behaviour, communication and symbolism. As part of
corporate identity, the name, KNUST symbolizes the organization, both internally and externally
(Bromley, 2001) and at the same time it expresses its structure. (‫גרינבלט‬, 2012) ”Science and
Technology”. People easily familiarize themselves with the university when the name comes up.

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The Logo, represents your brand and it gives first impression to both your target audience and
competitors. “Logo is a company’s signature and so it must be unique. Again, it must be, simple,
recognizable and memorable” (Jacqueline, 2019). It is an important element of visual brand
identity (Kohli, Suri & Thakor, 2002). A number of studies have proven the importance of logo
graphic design on brand awareness and recognition (Henderson & Cote, 1998; Janiszewski &
Meyvi, 2001). KNUST has no documentation on the designer or designers of the logo. According
to a senior researcher and also the senior designer at the KNUST printing press, Mr. Francis, who
vectorised the current logo of KNUST, the university has an unknown designer for the logo of the
school. Per his research, it was acclaimed that the former PRO of the University came up with the
logo, also the KNUST librarian is credited for the logo and tagline. And lastly, a dean called
Asihene is speculated to have instructed people to come up with the university’s logo therefore,
till date, there is no known designer of the logo. He also mentioned that, considering the definition
for a logo and what a logo should entail and also what an emblem is, the KNUST official logo
tends to replicate that of an emblem. He stated “initially, I wanted to create a logo aside the
emblem”. As at now, students and staff of the university tend to distort the official logo thereby,
resulting to the inconsistencies in their documentations.

The Typography. Typography is the designed form where the transfer of ideas and information
with the help of signs is done. In addition to communicating information and messages through an
understandable form language, it also carries the claim of being an element expressed as a style,
personality, and visual language. In typographic design, it is a priority to transmit a message into
a receiver in an accurate, quick and effective way using such elements as font, format, colour, and
blank. (Pektas, 2017). The typeface chosen by the academic board of KNUST is Cronos Pro. It
was created by Adobe type designer Robert Slimbach, Cronos is a sans serif typeface family that
embodies the warmth and readability of old style roman typefaces. Because it derives much of its
appearance from the calligraphically inspired type of the Italian Renaissance, Cronos has an almost
handwritten appearance, setting it apart from most other sans serif designs and making it an
effective choice for text composition. Cronos pro font family was officially proposed and accepted
by the academic board of KNUST as the university’s official typeface. Majority of students and

3
staff of KNUST are not aware of this agreement whereas the minority that is aware of the
agreement, are not making use of the typeface.

The Colour. KNUST has official colours. These colours are lust, black, forest green and yellow.
They come with colour codes and values. In most documentations as related to the university’s
logo, there is a distortion of colours. Students and staff tend to use variety of colour codes for
various documentations. An example is when the colour code #dd0000 is used rather than the
colour code for lust which is #e62020. These attempts to achieve the colours of the university in
our documents has led to the inconsistencies in the visual brand identity of the university.

The Tagline. In choosing a tagline for an institution, consideration is given to the mission and
vision of the institute. KNUST is guided by “Nyansapo wosane no badwenma” translated as ‘the
knot of wisdom is untied by the wise child”. This is also referred to as the motto of the university.
This forms part of the CVI elements of the university. This has been established by the university
but majority of the internal segment of the school, which are the students and staff are not
conversant with it.

Brand manual

The right way to create a brand Identity is actually focused on creating a brand identity system.
This enables the brand to look the best and be perceived appropriately. A document that dictates
the rules and guidelines on the elements of the brand identity system and how they must be used
is referred to as a brand manual or a brand style guide document. For every brand manual it should
have the narrative and context of what the brand has to offer. It becomes a good place to reconnect
with the brand story and the context of the brand. The brand manual helps in assessing the
consistency the brand may need to survive. When these components are formulated into a brand
style guide, it detects and reveals the roles and guidelines of the brand identity system and how it
should be used. The brand manual comprises of visual identity elements such as, the brand Name,
logo, colours, tagline, typography and other elements like, images and blending modes,

4
iconography, presentations and other assets of the institution. KNUST as a corporate institution
has formulated a guideline for its CVI elements. As it stands now, there is no such documentation
that serves as a blueprint or binding principle as to the various CVI elements should be used. It is
for this reason that we intend to come up with a brand manual that will guide the usage and
application of every element used by the senior staff, junior staff and workers of the university,
which in turn, will promote KNUST’s brand visibility as an institution.

In summary, a committee has been formed by the university’s academic board. This committee
was to come up with a manual that would outline the brand aspects of the school, that is, every
detail on the logo, name of the university, official typography, the tagline and the colours of the
university. The brand manual serves as a policy to guide every member of the institution on how
to efficiently use the CVI of KNUST. Currently, a guideline has been set by the academic board
of KNUST where, details of the CVI has been established yet, no official brand manual has been
placed out there for the general public to have access to. KNUST now being highly recognized as
claiming the top spot for best tertiary educational institutes in West Africa definitely needs to
project its brand elements worldwide, thus the need for this project. As at now, the committee has
bought into the standard letterhead and complimentary card ideas. And they last had an official
meeting in 2017. A brand manual for KNUST is still not in place.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

The student body of KNUST is underutilising and misusing the visual brand elements of the
university, due to the absence of a standardised brand manual.

1.3 AIM

The aim of this project is to create a standardised brand manual for KNUST’s corporate visual
identity.

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1.4 OBJECTIVES

 Conduct a survey through interviews and questionnaires on how the visual brand elements
of KNUST are being used
 Create a standardised brand manual for the university

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

-Why does KNUST not have a brand manual?

-What is entailed in a standardised brand manual?

-What are the effects of not having a standardised brand manual?

1.6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this project is to outline the appropriate use and application of the Corporate Visual
Identity elements of KNUST so as to prevent further misuse and underutilisation of the elements.
As stated earlier, Brands are said to be triggered when people are exposed to the visual identities
of an institution. These visual identities include, the name of the company, the logo of the
company, the colours and even other recognizable traits of the establishment such as, tagline and
also the typography. These visual elements are translated as the corporate visual identity of the
institution.

As part of a corporate institution’s brand, there is a need for a standardised brand manual. The
brand is what is established in the minds of people and further moves on to create a reputation for
the corporate institution. Per research, most established corporate institutions have a corporate
visual identity and within this, is a brand manual that outlines the various CVI elements, the
structure of the CVI elements, ways of using the CVI elements, where to use the them, basically,
the appropriate application of the CVI elements of the institution. Moreover, the brand manual
serves as a guide to the members of the institution. Without a standardised brand manual, members

6
of the corporate institution tend to underutilise, misuse and abuse the CVI of the institution and
this questions the credibility of the corporate institution.

Taking a corporate institution such as Manchester University as an example, the university has a
standardised brand manual where its CVI has been clearly established to the extent that it is found
everywhere in the university. On its architecture, books, website and every other visual
communication tool used by the university. It has become incredibly easy to identify the university
worldwide since its CVI has been clearly established, now creating a distinction between the
university and every other university or corporate institution.

The outcome of this project will provide KNUST with a structured corporate visual identity guide.
This guide will further direct the student body when it comes to the accurate application and
appropriate use of the visual brand elements of the university since currently, students misuse and
abuse the CVI elements, most especially, the logo or emblem of the university. Instances such as,
the KNUST logo designed for official purposes being used for a student’s political endeavour on
his or her poster or flyer. A social gathering on campus unrelated to the university’s official
curriculum, having a banner printed out with the KNUST logo and colours boldly emphasized on
it. Also, as part of the outcome of this project, it will recommend to the university ways of creating
awareness on the CVI elements to the general populace and in effect, rectify the issue of
underutilisation and misuse.

1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.7.1 ACADEMIC SIGNIFICANCE

The purpose of a CVI is that, it provides a corporate institution with a visual identification. A brand
manual also sets a standard when it comes to the application and usage of the CVI elements.
KNUST is recognised as a corporate institution. The university has established a CVI yet, no
standardised brand manual to guide the general populace on how to appropriately use the CVI
elements. The academic significance of this project is to provide an informative brand style
document that standardises the application and use of KNUST corporate visual identity element.
This informative brand style document, which is the standardised brand manual, will have an

7
educative content on the CVI of KNUST and then direct the university’s populace on what is
accepted and unaccepted.

1.7.2 PRACTICAL SIGNIFICANCE

CVI elements are used to represent an institution. It comprises of the brand name, logo, tagline,
colours and typography. These elements are used by the corporate institution on its brand corporate
visual identity products such as; letterheads, complimentary cards and brochures, its infrastructure
and other visual communication materials like, LCD screens, banners and posters. KNUST student
populace most especially, misuse the CVI elements. They are mostly used on commercial and
social posters or flyers. Most often, these elements are not used properly, examples are, the logo
is distorted to fit on posters, colour codes of the university are tinted to something close to the
actual colour code. The practical significance of this project is to give an understanding within the
informative document, which is the brand manual, on the CVI elements of KNUST and how to
use them, so as to prevent the KNUST populace from misusing and underutilising

1.8 LIMITATION

This project aims at creating a standardised brand manual for KNUST based on its existing
corporate visual identity elements. The researchers of this project, based the scope of study in
KNUST. We compiled the elements of the university’s CVI to come up with a brand manual. Data
collection was based in the university where data was collected from documents provided by
official senior designer for KNUST, the university staff and students and also from documents
online.

1.9 DELIMITATION

A general awareness was intended but due the short time frame given to undertake this project, the
awareness creation was not implemented.

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1.10 METHODOLOGY

 Data collection through interviews and questionnaires

 Collection of varied document samples to support research
 Segmentation of the brand manual’s contents on the content page
 Denote the brand name and tagline of KNUST
 Outline the fundamentals and technical specifications for the primary logo design
 Illustration of KNUST’s colour palette and tints
 Illustrate the contents of KNUST’s iconography
 Illustrate the grid system layout for placement of KNUST’s CVI elements
 Illustrate the blending modes and image placement of the university on various media
 Outline the fundamentals and technical specifications for the typography

9
 CHAPTER TWO (2)

LITERATURE REVIEW

This literature covers a wide range of theories. This review focuses on themes that relate to the
topic. The first part reviews brand literature, which aims at identifying what constitutes a brand.
The second part being, to discuss what corporate visual identity is and its essence. Also, it aims at
identifying and discussing what a brand manual is. Lastly, getting to understand what brand means
to the university student. Although the literature will present themes in several and different
contexts, this review will primarily focus on the importance of a brand manual for KNUST.

2.1 BRAND/BRANDING

2.1.1 BRAND

Brands are the foundation on which companies are placed in a competitive environment. In what
any particular company provides compared to its rivals, they function as a vital differentiation
factor (Biel, 1993). Therefore, buying a product of a specific brand will allow individuals not only
to achieve maximum usefulness through the instrumental meaning of the product, but also to
express their personalities or increase their self-esteem through the symbolic meaning of the
product (Slaughter et al., 2004).

Although the common understanding of branding as naming a product is essentially a simple one,
it has evolved dramatically in the applications of this idea and its thinking. It requires awareness
of the difference between a sign and a symbol to appreciate that evolution. Jung (1964, p. 20) refers
to "family signs, Badges, or insignia, "said," Such things are not badges. They are signs and they
do no more than denote the objects to which they are attached. What we call a symbol is a term, a
name, or even a picture that may be familiar in everyday life, but which, in addition to the
conventional and obvious meaning, has specific connotations. "In a similar vein, Mercer (2010, p.
18) explains that a mark (i.e. a sign)" is the tangible item of intellectual property–the logo, name,
design, or image–on which the mark rests. Yet brands also integrate intangibles such as culture,
partnerships, and personality.” Branding starts as a symbol, a way to signify that an object is what
it is and then becomes a way to label it (e.g. a cow, a slave, a convict, a detergent). Yet denotation

10
is not adequate immediately, and connotations arise. Naming an object, a slave, a prisoner, or a
commodity is not just a denotative term; it also implies certain ideas.

2.1.2 BRAND ELEMENTS

Brand components, often referred to as brand identities, are those trademarkable tools that help to
distinguish and differentiate the product (Keller, 2003:175). Brand components that define and
differentiate one product from another, are brand names and brand marks. A brand name is the
part of a brand that can be verbally conveyed, including letters, terms and numbers (Bovée et al.,
1995:247), and is any word or image that clearly distinguishes one seller from another. A brand
name typically takes the form of terms like The Sharks, Dogs, Bulls or Stormers (Brassington &
Pettitt, 1997:267).

A product label is a part of a brand that cannot be communicated verbally. It involves a graphic
design or logo (Bovée et al., 1995:247). Therefore, the product mark is the visual brand identity
component which does not consist of words, but of a design and logo (Brassington & Pettitt,
1997:268), such as the cat's head of the Cats brand, or the national rugby brand's leaping springbok.
On the other hand, a logo is a unique symbol representing a particular company or a brand name
written in a distinctive style (Bovée et al., 1995:247).

A brand is basically a marketer's commitment to consistently deliver a particular set of features,

benefits and services to the customer, according to Kotler (2003:420). The most successful brand
emphasizes features that are important to customers as well as very different from those of rivals
(Aufreiter, Elzinga & Gordon, 2003: 33). Therefore, brands serve as important communication
functions and thus create perceptions among consumers about a product's attributes and overall
image. The brand name and trademark are used once a brand has been created to remind and
reinforce the creeds that have been developed (Hoffman, 2003:261).

Aaker 1991 stated that, “a brand name is the basis upon which the brand equity is built and that it
is critical, core sign of a brand , the basis for awareness and communications effort” (Farhana,
2012). Brand name is assumed to be visually captured more often (De Chernatony, 2010)(Seimiene
and Kamarauskaite, 2015). It is expected to be consistently managed in order to attract investors,
either purchasers or stakeholders. It further moves on to enhance the personality of the brand.

11
Brands are perceived to have personalities, that is, human characteristics and its determinant is not
solely on its physique but on other external factors such as its roots, form of advertisement, and
class of consumers among others. Logo as one of the common brand elements, is an essential
element of a brand’s visual identity.(Seimiene and Kamarauskaite, 2015). A logo design affects
the perception customers and clients have of the brand. It places recognition on a brand. Bromley,
2001 stated that, “a logo is a symbol that represents an institution or company both internally and
externally”.(‫גרינבלט‬, 2012). Also, Balmer and Gray, 2000 concluded that, “It provides a source of
visibility and recognition to a brand”(John Byrom,Ken Lehman 2012). When internal, it
contributes to how the members of the institution are able to familiarize themselves with the
institution. And when external, it allows for easy identification by customers or clients. In a Journal
of Marketing paper, a guideline has been provided and it suggested that, a logo should be
moderately elaborate, with elaborateness consisting of complexity, activity and depth. ((John
Byrom,Ken Lehman 2012). A logo’s visual characteristic enables easy identification by a
consumer or client. (John Byrom,Ken Lehman 2012) . Colors stand for the emotions of people. It
has its positive and negative aspects that affect the behavior and choice of people.(Chang and Lin,
2010) Choice of color also help brand an institution. It plays a major role in the branding of an
institution or company. It forms part of the factors that influence a customer’s purchase. Color is
vivid and easy to remember. It is a key element to design. (Kumar, 2017). Typography as one of
the major brand elements, has become a medium through which a force that influences how
consumers or clients think of a product or service is transmitted.(Trends, 2017)

2.1.3 BRAND PERSONALITY

Aaker (1997) formally described brand personality as "the set of human traits associated with a
brand" (p.347). Unlike "product-related attributes" that tend to serve consumers as a utilitarian
function, brand personality tends to serve as a symbolic or self-expressive function (Keller, 1993a).
Motivated by this logic, an entity-defining brand personality traits will effectively communicate
the organization's core values and should appear on all available interaction channels. In making
they stand out, promotional materials and messaging resources such as brochures, newsletters,
community outreach materials, testimonials and, most importantly, websites will accurately reflect
the brand's personalities. Various researchers (Berthon et al., 1996a; Day, 1997; Ducoffe, 1996;

12
Loebbecke et al., 1998) examined the usefulness of a web presence in helping to achieve marketing
goals.

Nevertheless, Berthon et al. (1996a) stressed that many companies have yet to develop marketing
goals for their web sites. Additionally, recent studies on the Internet have focused mainly upon the
viewpoint of message efficacy (Flanagan and Metzger, 2000; Sundar, 2000; Tewksbury and
Althaus, 2000). Nevertheless, given the nature of the Internet, expectations of the company cannot
be judged solely by the efficacy of the post. Online studies need to be extended to include accurate
assessments of the impact of views of organizations on building public relations using the Internet
environment (Jo and Kim, 2003).

2.1.4 BRAND IMAGE

Brand management scholars (e.g. Aaker, 1996; Kapferer, 1997) have argued that brand image is
an essential part of powerful brands that allow brands to distinguish their products from their
competitors. Brand image is made up of brand association (Koubaa, 2008) it is a collection of
expectations about a brand as expressed by the product associations kept in the consumers' mind
(Herzog, 1963). Aaker (1991) describes product associations as "the benefit and responsibility
class of a brand that contains something' connected' in memory to a brand." Associations are
memory-linked brand nodes that include the sense of the brand for customers (Keller et al., 1998,
quoted in Koubaa; 2008, p. 141). Dobni and Zinkhan (1990) argued that the image of the item is
the outcome of the recipient-to-product stimuli interaction. Factors that contribute to brand image
creation are: product attributes, organization, marketing mix, consumer customer expectations,
personal values, experience, brand user type and context variables. Brand formation outlets could
be through either direct brand interaction or brand contact (Dobni and Zinkhan, 1990).

In current branding literature, the justification for brand images suggests that strong brand images
build trust, stability, and differentiation (Grace and O'Cass, 2005; Kay, 2006), particularly in
volatile, mature, and competitive markets. Yet very little empirical research considers the role of
time and context in evaluating consumer brand images, despite calls for study in this area (Keller,
2008; Rindell, 2013; Schultz and Hernes, 2013). Rather, extant studies show that inputs from
consumers' related past experiences (i.e., “image heritage”) Current brand images are strongly

13
influenced (Braun-La Tour et al., 2007; Rindell, 2007, 2013; Wiedmann et al., 2011); the sense in
which customer interactions or brand recalls often tends to have a significant impact on brand
images (Meyvis et al., 2012; Rindell, 2007, 2013).

2.1.5 BRAND EQUITY

“The concept refers to the basic idea that a product's value to consumers, the trade and the firm is
somehow enhanced when it is associated or identified over time with a set of unique elements that
define the brand concept.”(Farhana, 2012). Brand equity has to do with the positive or negative
perception associated to a brand. For instance, the positive image of KNUST in terms of academia
and the negative image aspects registered in the minds of people due to its students’
demonstration.(Sammut-Bonnici, 2015) In simple words, it is when the value of a product or
service is enhanced when associated to the brand and its elements. Brand equity begins when a
perception of a brand is registered in the minds of people. Brand elements enhance brand equity.
They work hand in hand to create either a positive or negative look for a brand.

2.2 CORPORATE VISUAL IDENTITY

2.2.1 INTRODUCTION

A brand is the lasting image or impression created in the minds of the consumer at his first point
of call or interaction with the consumer. But then in most cases its success is dependent on the
various element for building the visual identity of the brand. It is also the companies look and feel
that gives the company the uniqueness to stand out amongst its competitors. A brand can be defined
as a set of tangible and intangible attributes designed to create awareness and identity, and to build
the reputation of a product, service, person, place, or organization.”(Sammut-Bonnici, 2015).
Brands are said to be triggered when people are exposed to the visual identities of the particular
company, organization, establishment or institution. These visual identities include, the name of
the company, the logo of the company, the colours and even other recognizable traits of the
establishment such as, tagline and also the typography. A brand name the basis for brand awareness
and communication (Keller, Heckler & Houston, 1998). (Seimiene and Kamarauskaite, 2015).

14
Brand personality is built with every advertisement. A lot of tools used in advertising (from colors
and words to symbols and people) do affect the perception of brand personality (Pringle & Binet,
2005).(Seimiene and Kamarauskaite, 2014)

Brand cultures can greatly enhance customer value. If we conduct a thorough experiment, we can
imagine the value of a brand as the difference between what a consumer will pay for a branded
product (a product experienced through the lens of its brand culture) and a physically identical
product without the culture. This difference can be decomposed into four dimensions, which,
together, constitute the value added by the brand. The four components each have a strong base of
research in academic disciplines that inform marketing. Each of these four components
accumulates through the stories, images, and associations of the brand culture.(Holt, 2004) the
brand should also be evaluated based on some components.

2.2.2 CORPORATE VISUAL IDENTITY

Is/ are the various elements that is associated with a particular brand or institution which makes it
visible or easily identifiable by all (consumers) hence creating a connection or association between
that brand and the target it communicates perfectly to. In simple terms, it is what corporate
institution chooses to use to shape the customer’s perception. The various elements that establish
a visual bond between an institution or brand and the people connected to it, come together to form
corporate visual identity. It includes the logo, color scheme, typography, tagline, imagery style,
brand name, grid systems, iconographic. When there is a very good and reliable corporate identity
consistency in terms of employees giving off their best to satisfy client becomes successful. We
must therefore understand how essential the CVI is because it creates consistency and gives a clear
visual identity of a said corporate institution. Also, it expresses how reliable and professional an
organization is hence, establishing the brands equity and standardizes its visual presentation to its
customers. This is an area that has gradually grown to gain high preference in the sight of many
individuals, academic institutions and the general cooperate world at large. This usually has been
interchanged for corporate brand, identity and corporate reputation. The brand visibility also tells
a particular story in the minds of people. Meaning the brand has established itself in the right place
with the right elements to give it the needed boost. Elaborating further on this theme, CVI supports

15
visibility by emphasizing the all other brands.(Botha, Farshid and Pitt, 2011) It also influences
reputation, either in a positive or in a negative way.(Van Den Bosch, de Jong and Elving, 2005)

A few things that are worth noting include the most valuable brands are not always the most visible
in social media (for example, Coca Cola is less visible than Microsoft); that social media brands,
perhaps not unexpectedly are far more visible than the most valuable brands.

CVI supports the dimension visibility in the reputation model through the use of the name and/or
visual cues such as the logo on buildings, vehicles and exposure in the media, both paid and non-
paid. The use of visual identity elements on a variety of carriers increases the organization’s
visibility. The logo (alongside other visual cues) communicates not only the existence of an
organization, but also – particularly when the organization is in the news – can come to symbolize
its reputation.(Van Den Bosch, de Jong and Elving, 2005)

For a better corporate visual identity, there must be a distinction in the offering given. Now, case
studying KNUST, the institution could boast of its unique quality of education it gives to people
in diverse means coming from all walks of life that many similar institutions in its environs and
sub regions do not offer to their students. The unique position of the organization in the minds of
customers and other stakeholders. The organization can achieve distinctiveness through strategic
alignment (bringing together aspects of its vision and strategy to build the business), through
emotionally appealing features, and by attracting attention through the use of startling
messages(Van Den Bosch, de Jong and Elving, 2005)

2.2.3 BRAND ELEMENTS AS PART OF A CORPORATE VISUAL IDENTITY

These are the various elements that come together to give a brand its strength in diverse ways.
Moreover, it used interchangeably with words like visual identity and consists of logo, type, colour
etc.

“Visual identification: This refers to the way in which an organization uses logos, type styles,
nomenclature, architecture and interior design, etc. in order to communicate its corporate
philosophy and personality”. Other terminology as used by van den Bosch et al. (2005, p. 18) is
“corporate visual identity”. “A corporate visual identity (CVI) consists of a name, a symbol and/or

16
logo, typography, colour, a slogan and – very often – additional graphical elements”.(Bartholmé
and Melewar, 2011)

2.2.4 LOGO

An icon or a symbol associated with a particular company or brand that distinguishes it from
others is what is termed a logo. There are various types of logos and they include. Symbol logos
which are mostly iconic which are mostly used by large brands. And as such there is a need to
communicate one’s brand identity easily and much better, by going in for such logos. Example of
business using symbol logos include, Nike, apple etc. There is also the wordmark logo it makes
use of a unique font that distinguishes the logo from any other brand with clear examples being
Coca-Cola, eBay etc. Then also there is the letter mark logo which uses abbreviations this usually
is used when the institution has a long name. There is also a combination logo which make use of
both the symbol and the wordmark. And finally, we have the emblem. For a logo to do well, there
should be some technical specifications spelt out clearly and it should possess how and how not to
use it since it represents the company, institution or brand at any point in time. With regards to the
specifications of a logo it should have certain measurement codes that determines its place as in
when and how, and on which platform, thus, considering the logo and the typography that may
accompany it. Padding around it and also file formats must be looked at when creating a logo so
you would know what to use as an institution and on which media. There are two very important
stages when creating or defining a logo: first, the research and, second, the graphics. “For the logo
to communicate effectively, it should not be crowded or overwhelmed by other design elements.
“Clear space” refers to the area surrounding the mark that should be kept free of visual distraction.
No graphic element or text of any kind should be placed within this clear space”.(Sachsman, 2002)

That is why a logo designer has to know the action area and the purposed theme thus to develop a
high level work and not a copy according to known patterns. It is necessary to go over them from
the beginning till the end. What is in front of the public is the graphic result.”(Ad”r, Adr” and
Pascu, 2012)

17
2.2.5 TYPOGRAPHY

Type is a very critical element that adds up to the creation of a unique and strong brand identity.
Without any other element type alone can be an amazing tool that tells a story vividly of a particular
brand and as such must taking seriously by corporate institutions because it “speaks their brand to
their potential customers and clients”(‘Brand Manual (1)’, no date). It is for this reason that a
corporate institution will need a unique font to communicate to its clients, customers and potential
ones. The font or type chosen therefore must speak the personality of the brand in question since
it is there to communicate what the brand stands for. For our case study, it is Cronos pro for
KNUST which is underutilized.(Guide, 2017). Since the typography of an institution would be
what visitors or clients would be interacting with most of the time as they come into contact with
a particular brand. There is therefore the need to consider having a primary and a secondary in
different weight and sizes. For a brand to stand out in communicating it essence to it target it must
have some fonts it is associated with. “To establish UNE’s distinctive appearance in print and on
the web, we only use the typefaces listed below. By doing this, we unify our look across the various
communication platforms through which we engage the public.”(Sachsman, 2002)

2.2.6 NAME OF INSTITUTION

Using KNUST as our case study, KNUST is an abbreviation of Kwame Nkrumah University Of
Science And Technology. The name has been established in the minds and heart of people.
According to van Riel and Balmer (1997), three components of the corporate identity mix are
believed to influence image and reputation: organizational behaviour, communication and
symbolism. As part of corporate identity, the name, KNUST symbolizes the organization, both
internally and externally (Bromley, 2001) and at the same time it expresses its structure. (‫גרינבלט‬,
2012) ”Science and Technology”. People easily familiarize themselves with the university when
the name comes up.

2.2.7 TAGLINE

In choosing a tagline for an institution, consideration is given to the mission and vision of the
institute. Using KNUST as our case study, KNUST is guided by “Nyansapo wosane no
badwenma” translated as ‘the knot of wisdom is untied by the wise child”. This is also referred to
as the motto of the university. This forms part of the CVI elements of the university. This has been

18
established by the university but majority of the internal segment of the school, which are the
students and staff are not conversant with it.

2.3 BRAND MANUAL

2.3.1 MANUAL

A Manual for Corporate Identity (CI) is a set of guidelines on how to effectively reflect and identify
your company(Marketing, 2017). It dictates how all the design elements (especially your logo) on
all media including your business cards, letterheads, blog, advertisement, email signatures, and a
website should be use (Cook, 2018). A manual for corporate identity (CI) is most importantly,
created for companies to show consistency in all aspects of internal and external material. CI
manual mainly focuses on (Cook, 2018)physical look of a company’s brand. (Marketing, 2017).

2.3.2 THE ELEMENTS OF A CVI MANUAL

The full outline of your product and all its components should be in your CI manual:

 Explain your brand values – What is the significance of your brand and what is defined by
your brand?
 Company Promise – How do you always give the interest of your customers?
 Brand image – What is your brand's public perception?
 Message – What's your target audience going to say?
 Objectives – What do you want the company to achieve?

2.3.3 LOGO
It is important to let people know how your logo functions or applied either on web, books,
letterhead etc. “this is because logo is your brand's most important, visible icon. Offer your logo
horizontally and vertically as well as logos with and without your brand tagline”(Marketing, 2017).
In analyzing this statement in comparison with the Manchester University’s logo, it was stated
clear that “our logo is the cornerstone of our visual identity, so it is important that we apply it to

19
the exact specifications correctly. The logo must never be altered or updated’’. (Manchester
University, 2019)
State clearly, the appropriate sizes in which the logo can also be replicated. The minimum size that
can replicate your logo and still be readable and as well the particular colours in which the emblem
or logo can be reproduced.

2.3.4 LOGO POSITION AND EXCLUSION ZONE

For order to maximize its graphical appearance the logo needs enough space free of any other
graphic elements or text.

The logo of Manchester University constitutes two elements and can never be separated. These are
the ‘Manchester 1824’ tab and the name form ' Manchester University, ' which must be placed
below the tab. “The title form must always read ' Manchester University ' and not ' Manchester
University ' or any other variant of it’’ (Manchester University, 2019).

20
Positioning logo as demanded by the guideline helps clarity or accessibility because ‘’the
dimensions of the exclusion zone are always added’’ (Manchester University, 2019). ‘’In the case
of promotional items, letterheads, business cards, and so on, appropriate dimensions and the
amount of clear space that should always be around the logo or other product
elements’’(Marketing, 2017). This is something Manchester and Cambridge are particular about
exclusion zone is based on the x-height of the purple tab. ‘’It is vital that this law is followed and
the exclusion zone is preserved at all times, helping to give it visibility and presence”(Cambridge
University, 2012).

Looking at the above elaboration, it is so evident that KNUST logo follows no principle or
guideline. With fig. 1, fig.2 and fig.3 it we see logo of the school rendered anyhow. They are
distorted with no consideration of exclusion zone. And this alters the integrity of the University
when it appears on different documents.

Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3

21
2.3.5 COLOUR PALETTE

Colour palette is a group of colours a company uses to design its brand and it guides every piece
of your visual content the brand creates (Cook, 2018). Depending on your company and the guide
set, the colour palette can be simple or elaborated but make sure you do not deviate from it during
application (Cook, 2018). “…it must be used consistently to establish structure and hierarchy
across our communications” (Manchester University, 2019). Provide the specific Pantone (PMS)
colours of the brand colour palette. “Enclose in it the primary, secondary, and tertiary colours at
minimum, show colours on the logo and in branded communications and then include RGB, HEX,
and CMYK equivalents of the colours in your colour palette for varied use”(Marketing, 2017).
“Attention should be given to the use of appropriate colours. Minimal colour usage is often the
most effective”(Cambridge University, 2012).

Purple Yellow Grey Pantone

Pantone Pantone 123 Cool Grey 8
2602 C72 C0 M15 C0 M0 Y0
M100 Y0 K0 Y100 K0 K50 R149
R109 G0 R255 G204 G149 B151
B157 HEX B51 HEX HEX
#660099 #FFCC33 #999999

Manchester University’s primary colour palette

Cambridge University’s colours in Pantone (PMS) and CMYK, RGB and web safe
references
22
2.3.6 TYPOGRAPHY
Indicate clearly, the specific fonts that should be used in branded communications, including
typeface size, line height, kerning, and so on (Marketing, 2017). “Support the various elements of
your company or institution to spell out the entire brand in a consistent way, be it on the company’s
website, posters, business card, amongst others not just in use of your company logo but
everywhere” (Cook, 2018). In addition, specify the fonts that can be used in header vs. body text,
online, offline, etc. (Marketing, 2017). As insignificant as it may seem, consider where and when
to use lower case letters and uppercase letters as this will enable readability. Lower case letters,
with their ascenders and descenders, make it easy for the eye to process word formations. Upper
case letters have no variety or outline and therefore make it harder to read. Preferably never use
uppercase in body copy(Cambridge University, 2012). Consistent use of typography produces
clear structure and hierarchy. Though, no absolute rules are there, it’s helpful to think about which
of our fonts will work best within your design (Manchester University, 2019).

Media/channel Font

Effra and
Print Minion Request installation to IT

Web and film Open Sans Self-install

Open Sans and

Presentations and stationery Arial

Manchester University’s typefaces for various communication platforms

2.3.7 PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDELINES

Photos or images are elements used in promoting a brand. According to (Marketing, 2017), they
are “materials and communications that say a lot about your brand persona and they need to match
your target’s expectations based on your brand promise”. Values and ethos are established in the

23
images used in branding because they communicate the diversity, energy and personality of what
an institution or company does(Cambridge University, 2012). Our photography gives an eye-
catching glimpse of life at the University, portraying our activities and achievements in a clear and
evocative way. This create interest, generate excitement and inspire brand loyalty (Manchester
University, 2019). “Only use images that are relevant and add value. Ensure the content does not
offend or alienate” (Cambridge University, 2012).

Five key characteristics define Manchester University’s photography which include

1. Straight and natural looking (fig 1)
2. Monochromatic and elements of strong colour (fig 2)
3. Reportage (fig 3)
4. Wide and cinematic (fig 4)
5. Point of view (fig 5)

Fig 1 Fig 2

Fig 3 Fig 4
24
And three categories that make up the University’s imagery content. These are:
1. Action shots
2. Environment
3. Portraits

Action shot Environment Portrait

The same way Cambridge University has their way of appealing to their key audience.
“Images should feel observational and spontaneous rather than staged, and show a contrast with
our heritage – beautiful architecture and the energy of the people who interact with the
University. Images can be reproduced in full colour, single colour (monotone) and black and
white”

Cambridge University Imagery

25
2.3.8 USAGE
Include examples of brand applications throughout your CI manual along with examples of how
to use your brand elements the wrong way, or you can include a separate section filled with the
do’s and don’ts of how to use your logo and brand elements across varied applications.(Marketing,
2017)

2.3.9 DO’s AND DON’Ts

Now let’s look at how the two Universities used in this review apply their elements in all aspect
of the schools’ brand communication. This will include the positioning of elements and appropriate
colours to use as required by their brand manuals.

Variation of Manchester University’s logo

1. Alternative versions of the main University logo may be used, but only where the full
colour logo cannot.
2. avoid placing the logo on similar coloured backgrounds to maintain high contrast and
definition.

All black logo All white logo All for coloured

backgrounds

26
2.3.10 THE DON’Ts

Incorrect usage of the logo

27
correct
usage of
Cambridge
University’s logo

28
2.3.11 CONCLUSION
These analyses on the usage of both Manchester and Cambridge University shows clearly how
individual elements should be treated when Corporate Brand Manual is in play. Colour scheme is
important, positioning, typography, photographs, grids, iconology among others.

KNUST as the best University in West Africa cannot overlook these brand elements because these
make every good institution credible, authentic, consistent, classic and order in their brand
communication.

2.4 THE UNIVERSITY STUDENT

2.4.1 THE STUDENT AS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY

Universities work in diverse and demanding environments. Marketing strategy becomes a priority
to ensure successful recruitment, along with retention of students and faculty. (Casanoves-boix,
2017) . Knowing the university brand, brand elements and its essence to the university adds great
value to the university. University students are considered as clients. Students have undergone
societal, political, economic and cultural changes which have transformed their ways of life.
According to (Casanoves-boix, 2017), a student is anyone who attains education from an
individual or place where he studies, such as, a teacher or university. He or she receives

29
information from an educational sector or institute and becomes submissive to leaders or authority.
In addition, Küster-Boluda and Vila-López (2012), “affirm that the university student possesses a
series of individual characteristics that make him unique to the rest all of his classmates.”
(Casanoves-boix, 2017). The functions of the university student have evolved over time, adapting
to every change; socially, politically, culturally, and many more for decades now. The university
student plays a vital role in the higher education sector. They establish ways for communicating
and structuring preferences. Therefore, students are considered as key assets when it comes to
purchasing the services of the educational institute. They create customer or client loyalty for the
university. (Casanoves-boix, 2017)

2.4.2 STUDENT PERCEPTION OF UNIVERSITY BRAND

For the past two decades, branding has become one of the top priorities for the management of a
firm. It is one of the most essential intangible variable of an institution. (Case and Navigator,
2011). The whole concept of branding can be linked to product marketing. What branding does in
this case, is to create a distinction and preference for a product or service as perceived by the client
or customer. A university in this instance, which is considered a product or service, has its own
brand, where the student becomes the customer or client. As universities are expanding worldwide,
they are also trying to increase their marketing campaigns. When it comes to decision-making,
prospective students have a tough time choosing an institute that will favour them. Branding
becomes a means to easily select that which they would want. (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013).
The brand of a university creates a perception in the minds of the student. Either to the student, it
is known, invested into or acknowledged for its distinction or if it falls in line with his or her
preferences. (Case and Navigator, 2011).

As established earlier, student perceptions affect the personality of a brand immensely.

(Casanoves-boix, 2017). Brand in higher education is a very significant variable for universities.
It encourages people to purchase or invest into the educational services being provided by the
institution. In other words, “greater brand awareness will mean greater brand equity.” (Casanoves-
boix, 2017). Universities go a long way to invest a significant amount of resources on its brand.
They create brand campaigns to establish themselves within the minds of prospective students. In
addition, they employ strategies that reconstruct and reposition them in the higher education

30
market. These assist them in boosting the reputation they have out there. (Journal, Group and
Limited, 2013). It has become very important for universities to create a strong and effective brand
communication system. It should comprise of various communication tools like, creating
advertisements on the brand constituents of the university, taking part in events, web marketing,
social media activism, amongst others. These strategies help to build stronger bonds with students
and as a result, end up achieving greater involvement of students with the brand. (Case and
Navigator, 2011)

2.4.3 BRAND ORIENTATION

Brand Orientation focuses on how a customer or client measures an organization’s brand rather
than what the employees perceive. A study was conducted by (Napoli, 2005) to examine the
students perception when it comes to the university brand. The study was based on;

Interaction: It measures how far a university can go in order to establish a system where students
can communicate with the authorities and react to changes in the environment. (Journal, Group
and Limited, 2013).

Orchestration: It measures the extent to which the brand of the university and its constituents,
together with its marketing strategies are being put to effect to enhance communication to every
member of the university, both internal and external. Internal representing students and external
for the public or stakeholders. (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013).

Affect: This is where the university accepts that its brand is either accepted and registered in the
minds of its key stakeholders or is unaccepted by them.

2.4.4 STUDENT LOYALTY TO THE UNIVERSITY BRAND

A strong attachment and urge to purchase a particular product or service continually, despite
circumstances and other influential factors that have the potential to cause change within the minds
and hearts of people is what we term as loyalty (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013). Building a
strong brand is beneficial. It attracts financial gains to organizations, and in this case study,
universities. When the brand equity of the university is strong, it paves way for customer (students)

31
loyalty and income. (Case and Navigator, 2011). A student’s loyalty begins at when the student is
enrolled into the institution and even after completion. The goal of universities is to encourage
students to further their education in the same university as well as to encourage them to retain
their current enrolment in the institution. (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013). A strong brand
makes it simple for students to invest a great deal of trust in the university. A student’s perception
on how his or her university engages in brand-orientated behaviours has a massive influence on
the loyalty of the student. (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013). “Specifically, it is noted that the
most significant variable in brand equity building is brand loyalty.”(Casanoves-boix, 2017).

2.4.5 STUDENT WORD OF MOUTH

Students have the power to spread information by just word of mouth. Word of mouth
communication is a vital medium through which information influence customers or client. It has
the power to create awareness and subjects people to taking certain decisions on a product or
service. Normally after enrolment, based the experience students have, it either translates to a
positive word of mouth or a negative one. The brand of the university can be positively registered
in the minds of students and with their word of mouth, enhances its effectiveness. “Student
perception of the university’s brand orientation has a positive impact on student post-enrolment
communication behaviour” (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013).

2.4.6 STUDENT SATISFACTION

According to (Journal, Group and Limited, 2013), “student satisfaction is considered as an

important research topic in higher education due to an increasing competition in this sector.”
Satisfied students are sources through which a positive image is created for the university. When
students are dissatisfied, they tend to pass negative remarks on the university, which in turn
tarnishes the image of the institution. Student satisfaction translates to a positive brand image. Out
in the job market, competition is created when students from universities with strong brands are
being assessed together with graduates from other universities. The choice of who to employ
becomes easier as a result of the standard set by their brand. In this instance, a student becomes a

32
satisfied customer of the university and further moves on to give a positive word of mouth to other
prospective students.

33
 CHAPTER THREE (3)

DESIGN METHODOLOGY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, the steps and procedures employed when designing the Brand Manual has been
laid down. The design of the Brand Manual was based on the Corporate Visual Elements of
KNUST. Every element has been outlined in the Manual and a detailed description and its use has
been provided alongside. This chapter sort to briefly describe the features of each page in the Brand
Manual. This chapter generally exposes us to the target group for which the design is being made,
the instruments used for designing, the design layout descriptions and the delimitations.

3.2 OVERVIEW OF STUDY

This paper is based on a case study in KNUST. After thorough research and observation, the
researchers of this project found out that, KNUST does not have a consistent use of its brand
elements, most especially by the students. The inconsistency has led to the misuse by the student
populace. This project sort to come with a standardized brand manual for the university based on
the agreed corporate visual elements by the university administration. The content of the brand
manual will further educate the student populace on the appropriate use of the CVI elements of the
university.

3.3 THE TARGET GROUP

KNUST has over 20,000 undergraduate students. Students of the university have fair ideas of the
CVI elements of the university yet majority have not been able to familiarize themselves with its
appropriate use. Students tend to misuse the elements in their daily activities, for instance, misuse
of the university’s logo on class reports, incorrect placement of the logo on documents both formal
and informal, abuse of the colours, logo and typography on political posters and also the informal
use of the logo on other social gathering event posters. This target group was selected by the
researchers because dissemination of information concerning the university mostly begins from

34
this angle due to the large number and advancement in technology that has been made available to
the youth (students).

3.4 DESIGN INSTRUMENTS

As visual communicators, we decided to employ the Adobe Suite softwares to create the Brand
Manual. Softwares such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign were used to
come up with the end result.

Adobe Illustrator assisted in the design by helping to create the vectors for the logo since it only
supports vector-based design. The reason for the vector-based design is for the purpose of retaining
the high quality resolution of the logo.

Adobe Photoshop was used to construct the layout of the brand Manual. Artboards were created
in this software and individual pages were made to look like spreads for a consistent design. This
software is an imaging and graphic design software. It enabled us to manipulate images and other
contents more freely.

Adobe InDesign is a layout designing and publishing software. It enabled us to organize the pages
of the brand manual effectively. Here, we were able to create our page margins, numbering of
pages and bleeds. The purposeful use of this software was to ensure that the pages would be
organized accurately and publishing of the pages becomes easier.

3.5 DESIGN OVERVIEW

The brand Manual was structured in Adobe Photoshop and re-organized in Adobe InDesign.
Photoshop was used to create the layout and manipulate photographs to produce the design. The
primary focus of the Brand Manual was to incorporate the CVI elements of KNUST and produce
a manual according to its principles. This section of the Methodology focuses on the structure of
the Brand Manual, processes used and steps taken to achieve the design. It describes steps used to
create each content on a page. A5 (148mm by 210mm) artboards were created in Photoshop and
margin size of 2mm was for every page. Texts were either rendered in green or white and

35
backgrounds, vice versa. Font used was Cronos Pro and point size vary depending on the structure
of the page.

3.6 DESIGN LAYOUT DESCRIPTION

COVER PAGE- The cover page was designed on an

artboard of 148mm by 210mm (A5 paper size). A high
resolution image of KNUST students with a
Green(002F00) blending mode was used as a
background. Font size of 62pt in white text colour was
used which is to enable legibility. And also the edition
of the Brand Manual was indicated. The main focus was
to keep the cover page simple and concise

INTRO PAGE- This page was set to give a brief

introduction of the University’s Brand. It was designed
such that, the main theme (A Voice for Knowledge. A
Seat of Wisdom) stands out, more importantly,
Knowledge and Wisdom. The font Cronos Pro was used
throughout. A plain background was used to as enable
the text to be visible to the reader. Margin size of 2cm
was used so as to ensure that there is enough white
space for the page layout.

TABLE OF CONTENTS- Content of the Brand

Manual was sectioned on this page. Under every section
has a sub section which elaborates on the CVI elements
of KNUST. It centers around the main CVI elements of
the school. Cronos Pro font family was used. Bold for
the header (Table of Contents), Semi-bold for sub-
header (Section) and Light for the body text. All text
was rendered in white on green background.

36
 PAGE ONE- A distinction was created in the
background with different shades of white. This was to
prevent the page from looking boring and plain.
Headers were made outstanding and body as well with
the varying font sizes. The sub theme (Our Brand
Manual) was designed with small rectangles at the side
and underneath. This is just for aesthetic purposes. The
KNUST logo was used as a watermark at the sides in
the background to run through pages representing the
masterpage of the manual.

PAGE TWO- Page numbering was done at the sides.

The sub header (Our Motto) also had the style for the
previous header with rectangles. The body employed
the semi-bold and light font family style. Not forgetting
the Masterpage background design.

PAGE THREE- A background distinction was made

with green and white so as to allow the topmost
rectangle stand out together with the help of a drop
shadow. The core colours of the university are indicated
here as well as the colour codes.

PAGE FOUR- the colour codes of KNUST are

outlined on this page. The masterpage background was
used on this page for the colours to stand out and lighter
colours were given thin strokes to prevent it from
bending with the background.

37
 PAGE FIVE- representations of headers and body
text remains the same as previous pages. This page
focuses on the pantone colours of the University.

PAGE SIX- white text was used on dark

backgrounds and vice versa to illustrate legibility when
using both CVI elements of the university.

PAGE SEVEN- Masterpage background was applied

and text were clearly illustrated on this page. This page
explains the origin of Cronos Pro and gives information
on the official typography of the university.

PAGE EIGHT- Masterpage background was applied

and text were clearly illustrated on this page. This page
lays out the primary typeface of the university. Every
alphabet is shown with its feature.

PAGES NINE AND TEN - These pages employ the

features of page eight to ensure that consistency is
maintained throughout the manual.

38
 PAGES ELEVEN AND TWELVE – The left page
also employs the background features of previous pages
and it elaborates on the text legibility of the university.
The right page differentiates the backgrounds to use
when creating typography legibility.

PAGE THIRTEEN- This page was set in a more

minimalistic way giving the page more breathing space
and allowing for focus/emphasis to be placed on the
content on the page, which is the universities logo. This
page also speaks of the universities logo briefly as it is
one of the resourceful component of the Universities
identity and hence, emphasis on the need for
maintaining a strong identity and consistency. With a
KNUST water mark being in the background to the
bottom right of the page.

PAGE FOURTEEN- This page shows how the logo

element thus the symbol and then also how the
wordmark is being displayed or positioned alongside
the symbol. Thus be it in the horizontal placement or in
the vertical sense.

PAGE FIFTEEN- Here under this section, which

forms a subset of the main set which is the Logo,
we have the various core elements of the university
logo coming together to create the brand it
represents been dissected to allow for easy
interpretation and comprehension of the
universities logo which forms a part of the sum of
the universities CVI. In trying to achieve this, only
two elements were displayed and discussed, and they
included, the eagle and the stool.

39
 PAGE SIXTEEN- in maintaining the consistency of
each page been created this page was not an exception.
here an almost grey bar was placed to the right side of
the page leaving more space to allow for text to be
displayed and as well be visible. The other elements
components that come together to form the logo make
up thus the leaves and the callipers were also discussed
in this section. With the page numbering still positioned
at the sides of each page.

PAGE SEVENTEEN- Page numbering was done at

the sides. The sub header (Our Motto) also had the style
for the previous header with rectangles. The body
employed the semi-bold and light font family style. And
then as well clarification was made on the last element
component of the logo which represents, the pot of
wisdom.

PAGE EIGHTEEN- A background distinction was

made with tint of green and white behind the logo just
to make it stand out and be the first point of call if one
should look at that page. With the aid of simple lines,
the minimum clear space of the “T” height has been
explained.

40
 PAGE NINETEEN- this section introduces as to the
minimum size of the logo usage under the
recommended sizes, this is to ensure legibility. The
page also throw light on how and at what point, a logo
should be used the size to use be it on screen or for print.
All element that come together to form this page have
been placed in an asymmetric manner creating an even
weight distributed across the entire page.

PAGE TWENTY- gives a representation of all the

recommended sizes and how it needs to be placed
positioned on the various print media.

PAGE TWENTY-ONE – T Green text was used

on a white background to illustrate legibility when
using both CVI elements of the university. This section
gives a representation of all the recommended sizes and
how it needs to be placed positioned on the various print
media with it specifications.

41
 PAGE TWENTY-TWO- Demonstrates how the
logos should be placed and then also , the different
colours that the logo represents and how it helps
strengthen the CVI elements. This sections shows how
the placement is done in the vertical manner

PAGE TWENTY-THREE- Under this section,

we have a simple tint green background with the
logo placed at the bottom right hand side. That has
it opacity reduced by some percentage to help avoid
competing with the main elements on the page. Then
again we have the university colours used as the
background on which the horizontal logo placements
have been made which are, green, red, black and
yellow.

PAGE TWENTY-FOUR- this section shows

some correct usage of the logo and others that have
been incorrectly used thus some been stretched and
others squashed etc.

42
PAGE THIRTY- this section enlighten us on
what the grid system is and it essences in
promoting a brand. And how the various elements
come together to complement the universities CVI.

PAGE THIRTY-ONE - here there are figures that

illustrate how the logo has been placed on the grid
and it can be noticed that the logo is on top left
corner of the page. The arrangements of the
different elements to represent the grid has been
done in a simple way on a white background to
allow for breathing space for the eye and clarity in
reading

PAGE THIRTY-TWO-Similarly, here there are

figures that illustrate how the logo has been placed
on the grid and it can be noticed that the logo is on
bottom left corner of the page and in a horizontal
fashion. The arrangements of the different
elements to represent the grid has been done in a
simple way on a white background to allow for
breathing space for the eye and clarity in reading

43
 PAGE THIRTY-THREE-This page illustrates how to
place various element for print on a layout. If
consistent, it tends to promote the CVI of the university
adding more value and a sense of urgency and
authenticity, to all print materials related to the school.
This is an A5 representation.

PAGE THIRTY-FOUR- This is an A4 representation

of how the various CVI elements would look like on a
page.

PAGE THIRTY-FIVE- This is an A3 representation

of how the various CVI elements would look like on a
page

44
 PAGE THIRTY-SIX – An image was set as a
background. The photograph was taken with a fisheye
camera lens so as to get the image in a perspective. Text
was set below using the rule of thirds principle so as to
create and interesting layout. Text was placed on a
green background to enable the white text stand out
more. Not forgetting the hierarchy created with the font
family.

PAGE THIRTY-SEVEN – This page emphasizes on

the blending mode of the university. A somewhat cool
tone photograph having an autumn feel to it. The
masterpage background was employed on this page.
Text was placed at the right.

PAGES 38 AND 39– These pages contain images that

show what mostly students engage in at the university.
Outdoor activities that have been manipulated to fit the
blending mode of the university.

PAGES 40 AND 41– These pages illustrate the

iconography of the university. They were illustrated
with the help of Adobe Illustrator and were made to
have two varieties of each icon, ones with a green
background and ones without the green circular
background depending on the type of background it is
being used on.

45
3.7 OUTCOME

Front Cover Back and Front Cover

Inner Pages (folded side) Inner Pages (Spread)

Inner Pages (Spread) Inner Pages (Spread)

46
3.8 DELIMITATION

The initial design of the Brand Manual was to outline the Corporate Visual Elements of the
university thereby creating a standardized version of the elements and making it readily available
to all members of the university, specifically, the student body. We were to come up with original
materials such as vectors, photographs and layout design.

The main idea was to take photographs of the school and use them in the brand manual design.
The photographs would give clear visuals to the reader of the book when looked at. These
photographs were to be centered on the student body, staff and also the architecture of the
university. Photographs of students were taken but the architecture of the university was unable to
be taken due to the fact that we had not been granted access to take any. Also, considering the
outbreak of Corona Virus, thereby leading to the indefinite closure of the university, we were
unable to take these photographs for use.

In addition, there was an inaccessibility to information from the university concerning some of the
corporate visuals elements. Example, image blending mode and iconography. Less information
was given at these sections of the manual due to the aforementioned.

47
 CHAPTER 4
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses the data analysis and findings from 300 questionnaires completed by
KNUST students from the sic colleges, underneath are several faculties and departments.

THE SIX COLLEGES

 College of Art and Built Environment

 College of Humanities and Social Science
 College of Science
 College of Engineering
 College of Health
 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which the student body of KNUST,
underutilise and misuse the visual brand elements of the university, due to the absence of a
standardised brand manual.

The objectives of the study were to;

 Conduct a survey through interviews and questionnaires on how the visual brand elements
of KNUST are being used
 Create a standardised brand manual for the university

Questionnaires were given students of ages ranging from 18-32. After agreeing to complete the
anonymous questionnaires, these 300 students coming from the 6 colleges were given their
individual questionnaire to completed.

The data from the questionnaires were statistically analyzed by the researchers. The SPSS
version 19 program was used for the data analysis. The findings are discussed according to the
sections of the questionnaire. The three sections of the questionnaire were:

48
  Section A: Background information of students (Personal Data)
 Section B: Knowledge of students on the visual identity
 Section C: Knowledge of students on the visual brand element

The IBM SPSS Statistics Data Editor was used to contextualize this chapter which include the
personal data of respondents and the most important data on the brand elements.

4.2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION OF STUDENTS (Personal Data)

This section of the questionnaire covered the respondents’ gender, age, year, college, faculty,
leadership position at the university and consent about their reputation. Though not central to the
study, the personal data helped contextualize the findings and the formulation of appropriate
recommendations to enable more students to understand and utilize the visual brand elements of
the university (KNUST). This will enable the researchers to know their target audience and best
way to communicate effectively.

4.2.1 GENDER AND YEAR OF RESPONDENTS* How relevant do you consider the
University's identity in your daily life?

Under this area are response of students broken into a table and a bar chart for more understanding.
The table 4.1a was based on the gender of student to establish how relevant the University's identity
is, in their daily lives while fig 1 takes the same question but uses year.

4.2.2 How relevant do you consider the University's identity in your daily life?

The respondents made up of 120 females and 180 males were asked, how relevant do you consider
the University's identity in your daily life? And this was their response, as elaborated in the table
beneath. Though, from our data it indicated that most respondents do not have in-depth knowledge
on what brand identity elements are, it is clear that the little they know, made respondents see how
important the university identity is.

49
Given a majority output of 163 respondents, equivalent to 54.3% saying yes, it is very
important. This concludes the need for the creation of a standardized brand manual for the
university.

Table 4.1a
How relevant do you consider the University's identity in your daily life?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Very important 163 54.3 54.3 54.3
Fairly important 112 37.3 37.3 91.7
Not so important 25 8.3 8.3 100.0
Total 300 100.0 100.0

Beneath is a bar chart of the relevance of it as against the year of students also.

Fig 1

50
Table 4.1b

GENDER OF RESPONDENTS* How relevant do you consider the University's identity in

your daily life?

The respondents were asked how old they were at their previous birthdays Table 4.1b depicts the

respondents’ ages. Of the respondents, 120 were female and 180 were male. The table implies

that both male and female amounting to 163 respondents see the university’s identity relevant.

112 respondents are not sure of the importance and 25 respondents see no importance of the

University’s identity, which is very sad. But the good thing is, if the 112 respondents are abreast

with the need for corporate visual identity, these respondents will be able to produce valid

documents without making falsified documents to implicate themselves.

As said, brand identity effectively reflects and identify your company or institution. Most

importantly, it shows consistency in all aspects of internal and external material, (Cook, 2018).

Always keep the brand in mind

Crosstab
Count
How relevant do you consider the University's identity in
your daily life?
Very important Fairly important Not so important Total
Gender of respondents Female 65 46 9 120
Male 98 66 16 180
Total 163 112 25 300

Table 4.1c

This chi-square test table shows 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum

expected count is 10.00. This means that the gender of a person does not determine the person’s

51
knowledge on Visual Brand Elements. So, if there is any education to be done, researchers

should not be gender bias. Rather, it should go for all at equal proportion.

Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymptotic Significance (2-sided)
a
Pearson Chi-Square .221 2 .895
Likelihood Ratio .223 2 .894
Linear-by-Linear Association .021 1 .884
N of Valid Cases 300
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 10.00.

4.2.3 Year of respondents

Table 4.14 indicates the total number of respondents with their year. 94 of them are Year 1, 68 are
Year 2, 57 in Year 3, 71 in Year 4 and 9 in Year 5, given us a total of 300 respondents.

Year 6 didn’t record anything because there were no respondents since most six years program
host their students outside the school’s premises.

Table 4.2

Year of respondents
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Valid Year 1 94 31.3 31.4 31.4
Year 2 68 22.7 22.7 54.2
Year 3 57 19.0 19.1 73.2
Year 4 71 23.7 23.7 97.0
Year 5 9 3.0 3.0 100.0
Total 299 99.7 100.0
Missing System 1 .3
Total 300 100.0

Beneath, is a representation of the table on a pie chart.

52
 Fig 2

4.3 KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS ON THE VISUAL IDENTITY

This section consisted of four questions about the respondents’ knowledge on what a brand is, their

impression on KNUST visual identity brand, how relevant they consider the University’s brand

identity and how often they come of items, reminding them of their school (KNUST). Though not

central to the study, the personal data helped contextualize the findings and the formulation of

appropriate recommendations to enable more students to understand and utilize the visual brand

elements of the university (KNUST). This will enable the researchers to know their target audience

and best way to communicate effectively.

4.3.1 HOW RELEVANT DO YOU CONSIDER THE UNIVERSITY'S IDENTITY IN

YOUR DAILY LIFE?

This question was asked to identify whether or not the respondents consider the relevance of the

University’s visual identity in the things they do daily, whether on documents students print such

as assignment, or posters they print during students’ campaign to occupy position in school among

53
others. Just below is a cross tabulation, representing the results of respondents based on their year

or level.

Majority of students are not sure of the importance or relevance of it in their daily usage

considering the number of people who chose fairly important and not so important. Fairly

important is a state of uncertainty. Perhaps the respondents did not want to sound rude or ashamed

to say, not so important, knowing that they have no idea how indeed the importance of the

university’s brand identities.

Again, looking at the majority of respondents saying yes, we know how “very important” the

university’s brand identity is, shows that, most often than not students get to know how relevant

or important the university’s visual identity is when applying to school as freshmen. They tend to

be curious to know more about the university. So, it is not surprising that most of them are saying

yes, they know how “very important” the visual identity is.

Therefore, it is important to educate or make it available all that it is be known by students at the

initial stage upon the acceptance of students to pursue a programme. Making the university’s brand

manual available as hard copy or softcopy on the school’s website is the good way to go.

54
Table 4.3
Year of respondents * How relevant do you consider the University's identity in your daily
life?

Crosstabulation
Count
How relevant do you consider the University's identity in
your daily life?
Very important Fairly important Not so important Total
Year of respondents Year 1 59 31 4 94
Year 2 42 23 3 68
Year 3 25 25 7 57
Year 4 34 31 6 71
Year 5 2 2 5 9
Total 162 112 25 299

Beneath is representation of it in a bar chart.

Fig 3
55
4.4 KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS ON THE VISUAL BRAND ELEMENT

This section consisted of fourteen questions about the respondents’ knowledge on visual brand

elements which are the logo, tagline or motto, colours, grids and placement of these elements.

Nonetheless, the usage and importance of these elements which the response were collected and

executed into tables, bar charts and pie charts. This will enable the researchers to know their target

audience knowledge on branding and brand manual. Then find usefulness means to educate and

help them understand the inevitable uniqueness of a brand guide or brand manual.

4.4.1 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGE* How often do you use the official font of the
university?

In TABLE 4.4, the students from all 6 Colleges (CABESA, COHSS, SCISA, GESA, HESA and

CARNASA), with majority of the respondents were from CABESA. Under the colleges are the

faculties and departments. Of the respondents, 29 had "not so often" used the official font of the

university, though could easily tell that they have used before, 33 had neither used the official font

before. As compared to other colleges respondents it was well noted that, most students do not

make use of the university's official font, thus, giving them the knowledge and awareness would

be of importance.

Generally, the table below shows the frequency, of the use of Cronos Pro, the official Typeface of

the university by students. The total of number of respondents who do not use the official font at

all or not so often is 230, indicating more than 2/3 (two-third) of all the respondents.

56
Table 4.4
Crosstabulation
Count
How often do you use the official font of the University?

Very often Often Not so often Not at all Total

CABESA 7 11 29 33 78

COHSS 6 4 18 14 42

SCISA 4 4 18 20 46

GESA 7 8 16 15 46

HESA 2 8 20 20 50

CARNASA 0 9 17 10 36

Total 300

4.4.2 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGES * The colours have principles they follow

when being use, are you knowledgeable on how it should be used?

From TABLE 4.6, although the 32 respondents indicated that "Not So Much" from the CABESA.

It can be assumed, without further details that, they do not have accurate knowledge. That might

have enabled them to know how to use the colours better in their academic/ political works. It

could also be noticed that, 34 respondents who indicated "not at all" are from SCISA shows that

they are really lacking when it comes to the knowledge, they have on the school colour.

57
Table 4.5
Crosstabulation
Count
The colours have principles they follow when being use, are you
knowledgeable on how it should be used?
Yes, I do Not so much Not at all Total

18 32 28 78
CABESA

COHSS 8 17 17 42

SCISA 4 8 34 46

GESA 3 22 21 46

HESA 7 20 23 50

CARNASA 3 15 18 36

Total 300

4.4.3 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGES * Do you think there is a need to know the

visual brand elements of KNUST?

TABLE 4.7, Of the respondents, 36 had strongly agree that 'there is the need to know the Visual
Brand Elements of the University (KNUST), 37 agree to the same fact of knowing the visual Brand
elements and we, the designers providing a well-structured, designed brand manual for the
university.

Again, looking at the table, the researchers how greatly students of the Kwame Nkrumah
University of Science and Technology have the school at heart and strive to known more.
Therefore, if the urge is to known more, then a brand manual should be made available for
student’s perusal. Either softcopy on the school’s website or made hard copy for all freshmen, just
as the student’s guide is consistently made available for them. The earlier students are prone to the
school’s uniqueness or what makes them stand out, the better.

58
Table 4.6

Crosstabulation
Count
Do you think there is a need to know the visual brand elements of
KNUST?

Strongly agree Agree Not sure Disagree Total

0
36 37 5 78
CABESA

COHSS 21 14 7 0 42

SCISA 17 20 8 1 46

GESA 18 21 7 0 46

HESA 10 32 8 0 50

CARNASA 17 15 4 0 36

Total 300

4.4.4 RESPONDENTS OF COLLEGES * As a student of the University, do you

think the visual brand elements of KNUST should be standardized, compiled and
made known to you?

On studying TABLE 4.8., there is the saying that, majority carries the vote. Of the respondents,
153 strongly agree and 115 agree to the visual Brand Element being standardized and compiled.
This ends with commissioning the designers to come up with a standardized brand manual which
include all the visual brand elements of the university and make known to all.
In a nutshell, it is of a great importance for the researchers to design and produce a standardized
brand manual for KNUST just as all great universities across the world have.

59
Table 4.7
Crosstabulation
Count
As a student of the University, do you think the visual brand elements
of KNUST should be standardize, compiled and made known to you?

Strongly agree Agree Not sure Disagree Total

CABESA 54 26 0 0 78

COHSS 24 13 5 0 42

SCISA 20 20 6 0 46

GESA 26 13 6 1 46

HESA 13 30 7 0 50

CARNASA 16 13 4 0 36

Total 300

4.4.5 What are some of the things you see the elements being used on?

Of the respondents, 39 indicated that they see the visual brand elements being used on Souvenirs

(letterhead, call cards, brochures and certificates), 40 see the visual brand elements being used on

Flyers, posters, banners and signposts, 10 being used on Display devices (mobile, television, LCD

screens) while 1 person clam not to have seen these elements used on any surface. That is very

fascinating though.

Others also had multiple choices to pick from. 98 respondents were recorded for choosing option

1 and 2, 3 respondents chose option 1 and 3, 17 respondents chose option 2 and 3 and finally 89

60
respondents chose all options indicating that they have seen the visual brand element used on all

surfaces provided as option.

Table 4.8

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent

Valid 1. Souvenirs (letterhead, call
cards, brochures and
39 13.0 13.1 13.1
certificates)

2. Flyers, posters, banners

and signposts 40 13.3 13.5 26.6

3. Display devices (mobile,

television, LCD screens) 10 3.3 3.4 30.0

None (4) 1 .3 .3 30.3

Both (1 & 2)
98 32.7 33.0 63.3

Both (1 & 3) 3 1.0 1.0 64.3

Both (2 & 3) 17 5.7 5.7 70.0
ALL (1,2 & 3)
89 29.7 30.0 100.0

Total 297 99.0 100.0

Total 300 100.0

61
Beneath, is a representation of the table on a pie chart.

None
Both (1 & 2)
Both (1 & 3)
Both (2 & 3)
Both (1,2 & 3)

Fig 4

62
 CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 SUMMARY
This summary is to give a whole overview of the processes that has led to the completion of this
project. The project started as a result of a problem the researchers found as communication
designers and this is having to do with how students and stuff alike misuse and underutilize
KNUST cooperate visual identity. The intention of the researchers, having found what the problem
was, made sure their solution was going to be based on how their field of study, that being
communication design, can be used as a tool that can be dependable, achievable and applicable.
For this reason, we decided to create a brand Manuel that would serve as a guide or blueprint for
all that use the KNUST CVI especially when it has to do with prints, or online which is an attempt
to boost the universities brand across board.

Before starting the projects consultations were made since there had been a project similar to what
the researchers were about doing. Upon consultations with abode3 the engineer in charge of
KNUST printing press Design and proof reading department. Who encouraged that we make head
way with the project. He gave advice and guide lines on how to go about the project considering
how delicate the topic was. The researchers then started by conducting surveys and giving out
questionnaires to students. We then tried to gather evidences of how the KNUST CVI was been
under and over utilized. This was done by taking sample from notice boards of the various
departments, traditional halls, across campus, off campus (hostel areas) and the internet as well.

Having accumulated all the results accrued from the questionnaires that was sent across, it was
clear a larger percentage of student knew little or nothing about the KNUST CVI elements. And
that alone affirmed the objective of this project. We then started off by first analyzing the
information giving to us by abode3 and then proceeded to sectioning the brand manual into the
various parts so as to expatiate on all the individual elements that formed the KNUST CVI.
Following this, the brand manual layout and all other elements needed on each page of the manual
was designed using the adobe suit with specific software’s being, adobe Photoshop, illustrator and

63
InDesign. After scrutiny from our supervisor following the now created brand manual, the
researches were been asked to publish a physical copy.

5.2 CONCLUSION
As corporate institutions become (Bosch, 2006) numerous in the world market, there is a need for

institutions to distinguish themselves from other existing and developing institutions, that is why

branding is crucial for corporate institutions. As researches we realize students of KNUST either

underutilize or misuse the cooperate visual elements of KNUST which is crucial to promoting the

universities brand.

Per the data analysis results, it was concluded that; a majority output of 163 respondents,
equivalent to 54.3% agreed to the essence of a standardized brand manual for the university.

After the accumulated results from the questionnaires, the researchers concluded that, there was a

need for a standardized brand manual for KNUST. Knowing this, the researches reemphasized on

the essence of having a brand manual as a cooperate institution, a case study being KNUST as a

university. These are some underlined points thus, the purpose of the CVI is to provide a corporate

institution with a visual identification. The brand manual now created, will sets a standard when it

comes to the application and usage of the KNUST CVI elements since it is also recognised as a

corporate institution. Even though, the university has established a CVI, yet, there hasn’t been any

standardised brand manual to guide the general populace on how to appropriately use the CVI

elements. The academic significance of this project is to therefore provide an informative brand

style document that standardises the application and usage of KNUST corporate visual identity

element. This informative brand style document, which is the standardised brand manual, created

by the researchers, has an educative content on the CVI of KNUST and then direct the university’s

populace on what is accepted and unaccepted.

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5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
After completion, the researchers of this project strongly recommend to KNUST’s administration
and University Relations Office (URO);

 An increase in the visibility of the KNUST’s Corporate Visual Identity on campus. This
can be done through the use of visual communication tools such as posters, billboards,
signage, projection on LCD screens, website interface displays and other souvenirs like,
brochures, letterheads, callcards, magazines and other formal materials. In this sense,
students and the general populace can familiarize themselves with the brand elements of
the university.
 There should be periodic seminars that aim at educating students on the brand of the school,
most especially, first year students so as to ensure that the newly enrolled students become
conversant with the nature of the university and its brand.
 The staff of the university be given a copy of the brand manual, whether digital or hardcopy
which would in turn keep them informed of what the brand of the university entails since
they form part of KNUST’s brand ambassadors.

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