SAIT reveals first new brand in almost two decades
By Melanie Simmons, Public Relations Specialist, SAIT
What is your brand? How do you stand out from the crowd? Today, brand is the essence of a product or service — how an audience relates to it. Earlier this month, the third largest post-secondary in Alberta pulled the curtain back on a new corporate brand.
The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) revealed its new brand after nearly a year of research, consultation and creation. We’re very excited to talk about it and head into our next century with this fresh look!
We’ve seen an impressive rate of growth and transformation in recent years — a 50% increase in full-load equivalent students and nine new buildings — but our brand has remained unchanged since 1998.
The new look was unveiled to SAIT employees on April 5, 2016, to celebrate their passion for excellence and share the inspiration behind the brand.
“Anticipation around the new brand has been building for months and we are looking forward to seeing it in action,” says Dr. David Ross, President and CEO. “As we progress into our next century, the new brand story and visual identity represents both the present and future relationships SAIT has with our community — students, employees, alumni and partners around the globe.”
Polytechnic vs polytechnic
Our rebranding journey began following the launch of a new strategic plan and has been an extensive process. Market research, surveys and focus groups all played an important role in the development. Research led to the decision to drop the word Polytechnic from the name.
“More than 4,000 voices united to contribute to SAIT’s new brand,” says Carol Rogalski, Director of Marketing at SAIT. “One piece of overwhelming feedback was the understanding that SAIT offers a polytechnic education, but having the word in the name wasn’t necessary. We listened and the new brand reflects that.”
The SAIT story
While a new logo tends to take the spotlight when it comes to branding, without a brand story, a logo is just an illustration or typography. It’s the story that fills the logo with meaning and that development was the lion’s share of SAIT’s rebranding process.
“Students don’t choose a school because of a logo, they do it because of a reputation and brand,” says Rogalski.
Our new brand story celebrates the institution’s groundbreaking spirit and looks towards the future. It elevates action-based learning and enterprising collaborations with people and partners around the globe.
The “catalyst”
That story resonates through all aspects of SAIT’s new logo — a powerful emblem of SAIT’s unique community and learning experiences. Each element is embedded with meaning — from the five s-shape connectors that represent the people and relationships that define SAIT, to the historic “SAIT red,” complemented by hues that reflect diversity, adaptability and innovation.
Ever-evolving, dynamic and flexible, all the elements of the visual identity help express our character and bring the brand story vividly to life.
A new century
SAIT’s new brand is just the beginning of an exciting year ahead, as preparations are already underway to celebrate our 100th Anniversary on Oct. 16, 2016. Stay tuned…
Register today for Building your Personal Brand: April 27, 2016 at 5:30 pm
