University spent over £230k on new logo and ‘Beyond’ branding

The University of Warwick spent over £230,000 on its summer rebrand and cannot say how much it will cost to implement, The Boar can reveal.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request obtained by The Boar shows the cost of designing the University’s new “visual identity” and brand positioning totalled £231,588, excluding VAT. 

The University declined, however, to give estimates for how much implementation of the new brand will set back Warwick. Its legal team argued that providing “forward-looking costs” would not be possible as expenditure would be determined by the individual budgets of faculties, departments, and professional services. 

The amount spent is nearly four-times that spent on the 2015 rebrand

They further noted an obligation to use already-owned materials and assets during the rebrand’s three-year implementation period, before any updated brand items can be purchased. The FOI noted that planned work on campus signs had been deferred so as to fall within the rebrand’s timeframe, as part of this requirement. 

The University therefore argued that they did not hold any details on anticipated future costs for the rebrand. 

The University did not respond to a request for comment. The Boar did not receive a reply on whether the University believed £230,000 to represent value-for-money. The amount spent is nearly four-times that spent on the 2015 rebrand, which adopted the twin triangle ‘W’ to the tune of £80,000. 

In 2023, the University modified its brand to standardise uses of the logo to purple, making last year’s Brand Evolution Project (BEP) the third rebrand in ten years. 

The University has now begun the process of overhauling its Warwick Sport branding, having surveyed sports club members on a new slogan and imagery, and drafted prototypes of a new kit. The University did not say whether they could estimate the cost for this newest stage of rebranding. 

One SU sabbatical officer told The Boar they considered the £230,000 price tag ‘ridiculous’

The price tag for this newest project by Warwick may raise eyebrows among students at a time when UK higher education is coming under increasing financial pressure. Warwick itself has opened a voluntary severance programme as it looks to cut jobs. In 2024, 218 members of staff were made redundant, according to analysis by The Telegraph. 

The University has previously defended its BEP as a necessary step towards amplifying Warwick as a global research brand, as part of its widely publicised 60th anniversary commemorations. 

Students, however, have largely reacted with indifference to the new brand. Some have criticised the money spent on the project. 

One SU sabbatical officer told The Boar they considered the £230,000 price tag “ridiculous”. They argued: “You could have fed how many students for this money for a year?” 

After a beat, they further noted that the value was “still less than the Vice Chancellor’s salary”.