Why Higher Education Needs More Than a New Building

The way we educate and the way students want to learn has changed dramatically in recent years. Emerging technologies, evolving learning styles, and a new generation of faculty are creating pressure for change in everything from classroom design to campus layout. At the same time, as the cost of education continues to climb, students and families are demanding more from their university experience.

Many institutions are responding by investing in new buildings and spaces. But there is a bigger opportunity for success when a university’s brand is integrated throughout its buildings and interiors, not just applied to a single new facility.

Is a School a Brand?

Absolutely. A brand is the grand total of impressions and experiences a person has about a product or service. For a university, that means every impression and experience that prospective students, their parents, current students, alumni, and potential sponsors form about the institution. A brand is more than a good tagline. It is the whole experience, including the space, the architecture, and the furnishings. Good branding creates a cohesive experience that gives prospective students the feeling a university hopes to achieve, and it is what turns them into happy, engaged alumni.

Recognizing space as a way to support a brand experience starts with defining the existing institutional culture, comparing that to the desired culture, and then designing (or redesigning) spaces to close the gap between the two.

Branded University Environments Drive Engagement and Success

A well-designed environment tells students about a school’s core identity and shared values. It should support the school’s mission and create a lasting impact on students well after they graduate. A branded environment helps students visualize their own success on campus, and it can help:

Strengthen recruitment
Improve retention
Increase engagement
Support growth plans and partnerships
Raise the school’s profile
Create a higher perceived value
Reinforce desired behaviors

A Pathway to a Branded Environment in Higher Education

So how do you create that branded environment? It is not as simple as ordering furniture in your school colors and adding signage that speaks to your values. Here is a pathway to creating a branded environment for universities.

Define your message. What is the overarching message you want students to take away from your school? It could be a student success story, the contributions of alumni, or a core shared value. The goal is to identify what will make students feel like they belong at your school.
Use your unchangeable elements to support your story. There are things on your campus you cannot change, such as your location, key buildings, or the surrounding city or town. Use these to your advantage. Reinforce the state of mind or feeling that these elements evoke through your branding.
Create a sense of place to engage students. One way to make a lasting impression on touring students is to create a sense of place that is immediately recognizable. What in your local community can create a feeling of attachment for prospective students?
Use architecture and design to drive your branded message. Design features like scale, proportion, pattern, and shape can have a profound effect on the feeling a space evokes.

How Furnishings and Design Shape People’s Impression of Your School

With a clear message and shared values in place, furnishings have a huge impact on how that message is perceived when people interact with your school. For example, if one of your core values is a sense of community and gathering, how can furnishings help make that happen?

Cafe-style dining allows people to linger over long conversations or study in public spaces instead of retreating to their dorms. Pieces like the Haworth Very Side Chair or the Haworth Maari Side Chair lend great support along with a cafe-style aesthetic. Haworth’s newer Sorin chair, arriving later this year, is another versatile option worth watching as it becomes available.

Or maybe your focus is a highly engaged learning style. In that case, consider shared spaces with comfortable seating, integrated tables, and technology amenities that let students gather and learn together for longer stretches of time. Haworth’s Moxie, a modular lounge system, is an excellent fit here. It can be configured with privacy screens, high backs, and built-in power, so students can settle in, charge their devices, and focus for as long as they need.

In-person, experiential branding is a significant opportunity for higher education. Integrating a strong brand through your campus plan, exterior spaces, exterior design, and interior design can give people the mood and feeling you want your brand to convey. Successful branding creates an educational experience that alumni will cherish for years to come.