Nova is the alliance between UGent, UAntwerpen and VUB, and offers more than just the sum of these institutions’ respective post-graduate courses and research faculties. Never too old to learn or take up a challenge, Mirror Mirror was briefed to conceive a dynamic brand identity focusing on the ‘Nova Academy’ subsidiary, while also streamlining overall brand architecture and defining tone of voice.
Nova Academy brings learning to (your) life by way of a centralized hub for the ongoing and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. The platform opens up pathways for alumni to string together their chosen course(s) in life and cultivate a learning culture of training, re-training and further training throughout their career. All the while ensuring they will not only keep up with, but also remain at the forefront, of innovation in their field.
Learning does not stop when you have pocketed your diploma; In a rapidly changing world, it is important we continue to work on expanding and renewing one’s competences to understand and tackle the challenges of the future. Lifelong learning not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, but also teaches self-sustainability. It also increases competitiveness and employability. As an agency, we are proud to have contributed in shaping and visualizing this exciting new evolution in the world of academic education.
As the central focus of the Nova brand we designed a wordmark flanked by colons, referring to the chapters in education that come before ánd after. Thus, making Nova Academy (and Nova Research) just some of the many possible links in the ongoing string of defining, lifelong learning moments. We wrote the tagline “Bringing learning to life” to be a both idealistic statement and empowering brand promise, clearly communicating the alliance’s mission and way of working. Their institution(s) will not only literally bring learning to people’s lives, Nova Academy will also inject an invigorating dynamic in the concept of lifelong learning.
As typeface, a simple yet serious sans serif always stands the test of time, and we specifically selected Helvetica Now to stay fresh yet serviceable for lifelong duty as the institution and its brand keeps on innovating. The visual system is further supported by patterns that visualize this ongoing transformation, and even when used statically look like they’re in constant motion. A custom icon set wraps up the total package.
Strategy Rebranding Brand Architecture Copywriting Motion Design
The visual system is supported by patterns that visualize this ongoing transformation, and even when used statically look like they’re in constant motion.
