A new African identity for UNISA to extend global footprint

Built around a name that is 130 years old, the new institution brings more than 180 years of academic excellence together in what will be one of the top 12 mega-universities in the world, and the biggest distance education institution on the African continent.

An elaborate project to design the new brand involved an extension and collaborative process with extensive surveys, focus groups, exhibitions and interviews covering 7000 UNISA and Graduate School of Business Leadership stakeholders to ensure that all stakeholders - students, staff, SRC, council, business and alumni - were deeply involved in the creation of the new identity.

"This is the first institution to bridge the gap between university and technikon education, offering students access to traditional academic as well as career-oriented programmes geared for the world of work," says Professor Nyameko Barney Pityana, principal and vice chancellor of UNISA.

"In developing the new identity, we have dug deep into the fountains of African cultural and philosophical inspiration," he adds, "It is the brand identity for everyone who is a member of the global UNISA family. It is what binds us together as a community of staff, students and stakeholders with a common goal, an African history and a place of our own, different from other institutions."

The consolidation of the three institutions was outlined in the National Plan for Higher Education launched in 2001 and was promulgated on 1 and 2 January 2004.

The pro vice chancellor, Professor Neo Mathabe, says that as South Africa's first comprehensive distance education institution, the new UNISA has moved away from pre-merger anxieties and is facing the future with optimism.

"Already, we have acquired considerable additional strength by pooling our expertise, resources and infrastructure, which has greatly enhanced the facilities available to provide adequate support to our learners," she says. "I believe that the ease with which UNISA is adapting to life as a comprehensive institution is due to the total co-operation among top management. What stands out for me is the strong spirit of teamwork and a collective determination to make this institution work."

Brand emodies strong heritage

The new UNISA brand was created by the partnership of leading black agencies, Brand Leadership (strategy) and Two Tone Design (design). The two agencies were selected from a field of 19 high-profile professional competitors.

"The UNISA brand is world class with a strong heritage," says Brand Leadership and Two Tone Design co-owner Thebe Ikalafeng. "The new brand had to embody the combined 180-odd years of experience and academic excellence that the merger brought together, its African heritage, while leveraging the 130-year-old UNISA name," he added.

"The new UNISA brand," Prof Pityana adds, "embodies the vibrancy, contemporary and timeless expression of the strength, heritage and dynamism of the new University of South Africa."

The unveiling of the new brand is, in a way, the end of the beginning. "Many challenges lie ahead," Prof Pityana recognises. "One is to continue the groundwork laid for UNISA to become the institution of choice for Africa. Another is to ensure the relevance, responsiveness and quality of our research and academic output. Yet a third is to improve our throughput rates, the quality of learner support, and the use of technology."

UNISA's new global identity embodies the commitment it made to ensure that the new, comprehensive institution would be a unitary one, based on full integration and harmonisation, and not a federation of institutions running in parallel.

The brand embodies the 10-year statement on vision, mission, values and strategic objectives that was adopted when the merger process began in earnest last year. Valuable though it is, however, the brand is merely a symbol. "At the end of the day, the integrity of this institution depends on the level of responsibility each of us is prepared to take for its success," says Prof Pityana.

Identity is key

In an unusual direction, the new university features three major distinct but interdependent identities - an official crest, a primary identity and a subsidiary identity for the Graduate School of Business Leadership.

The crest is reserved for official inaugurations, investitures, graduations and official transcripts and certificates. The primary identity, featuring the flames derived from the crest, is the main identifier of the university, and is used for signage, communication material and all merchandising and branding.

The subsidiary identity, also derived from the crest, is reserved to identify the university's subsidiary, the Graduate School of Business Leadership.

The comprehensive project included a holistic definition of the merged institution's identity and multi- media and dimensional application key touch points in communication, signage, exhibition, and merchandising.

The agencies also partnered with university clothing manufacturers, Dippenaar and Reinecke and leading South African designer, Stoned Cherrie, to design the new range of academic regalia to complement the new African identity of the university.

The motto, "Pro Gentibus Sapientia", meaning "learning in service to humanity", is derived from the institution's vision, "Towards the African university in the service of humanity," captures the values of the new institution.

Flames represent the freedom that comes with education. Sparks represent creativity and enlightenment. The calabash symbolises abundance and the role of the university in the community, generosity and sharing, and is adorned with diamonds to signify the wealth of knowledge each of the five UNISA colleges confers. The arch represents the brain. The wave-like pages represent an open book. The unity symbol represents the interdependence that lies at the root of African humanity. Finally, the tusks represent the honour, integrity, and strength of this truly African university.

The launch brand campaign, also created by Two Tone Design and Brand Leadership, features several leading UNISA honorees and graduates, including Nelson Mandela. The campaign focuses on the primary value proposition of the new institution - "in service to humanity" - and offers as an example, that many leading Africans, who are recognized humanitarians, are graduates or honorees of UNISA.

Leading the campaign, former state president Nelson Mandela earned his LLB from UNISA in 1989 while in Robben Island and was awarded a LLD by UNISA in 1999.