Case Studies
Rebranding a University Offering World-Class Education
CHALLENGE.
The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) is Afghanistan’s only nationally accredited, private, not-for-profit, non-partisan and co-educational university. Offering world-class education to Afghanistan’s future leaders and changemakers, the university is funded entirely by the U.S.
In 2018, AUAF decided to revamp its brand with a fresh logo and visual identity. Given that the university had undergone a logo change 3 times in less than 10 years, AUAF was looking for a comprehensive brand overhaul to reestablish a unified brand across all its marketing platforms. The goal was to enhance AUAF’s overall brand reputation and visibility among students, faculty, staff, donors, the U.S. government and other stakeholders.
SERVICES
- Marketing Strategy
- Brand Audit, Identity & Logo Development
- Brand Style Guide & Tagline Development
- Sub-brand Development (Centers of Excellence)
- Website UX/UI Support
- Video Production
- Social Media Strategy
- SEO & Reputation Management
SOLUTION.
As part of the discovery and research phase, the TriVision team first did a full audit and assessment of the AUAF brand. This involved conducting interviews and a series of focus groups with current and prospective students, parents, faculty, and organizations. The goal was to develop a brand that resonated with their multi-cultural audience (U.S. and Afghanistan).
The final selected AUAF brand is simple and clean with colors that represent peace and progress. The blue represents sky is the limit with education while the green color represents the color of growth, prosperity and positivity. The overall type-based logo also has a longer shelf-life. The serif font is classic yet stays modern with the chipped “AF” letters overlapping each other to symbolize Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain. An academic seal or crest was also developed to be used seldom on various touchpoints, such as diplomas, official letters and the website.
Our branding work did not stop there. TriVision also developed the branding of AUAF’s Centers of Excellence: Business Innovation Hub, Professional Development Institute, and The Women’s Center. Currently, our team is involved in providing website, video production, social media and digital marketing support to the university, including SEO and online reputation management.
“Education will prevail”, a tagline created by TriVision, rings true to the powerful impact AUAF has had on a country in dire need of change and progression. Education is the only path to saving Afghanistan’s future and TriVision is proud to play a role in this U.S.-driven initiative. The new branding has helped the university gain the brand equity and credibility it needed to maintain its continuous growth and success despite many difficult challenges it has overcome and still faces in a war-torn country. Since AUAF’s first graduation ceremony in 2011, the university has successfully graduated 1,200 students – 731 UG graduates, 303 MA and 166 MBA graduates.
