A brand new look for Graduation

All of our graduations are special occasions, but our May 2022 celebrations must be some of the most significant in the University’s history.  

We could finally welcome back many of our graduates to receive their degrees in-person. 16 of the 18 ceremonies were specifically for those who graduated virtually over the last two years, missing out on celebrating with their friends, families and staff on campus.  

In the words of Professor Helen Smith from the Department of English and Related Literature, we could recognise and pay tribute “to a generation of students who completed their degrees against the odds and graduated in extraordinary times.”

The celebrations gave us an opportunity to showcase some of our most important community spaces – particularly Greg’s Place, which featured examples of our new University branding, from printed signage to digital screen content.

Our biggest visual change has been the introduction of a new colour. With our previous lead colour red no longer being part of our colour palette, we chose purple for its corporate, sophisticated tone to match the gravitas of Graduation. Our shade of purple is also less commonly used among other universities, making it more distinctive for York.

Our new Programme

The same look and feel also featured in the slides used throughout the ceremonies and our redesigned Graduation Programme.

The Programme uses key typographical and design features of the new brand, including fonts and rounded panels and images – all integrated into a clean, neat design, in keeping with the sophisticated style and tone of our graduations.

With 18 ceremonies taking place in Central Hall, the Programme was printed on a record scale – 15,000 copies were provided for graduates and their families. The Programme is not only an integral tool to guide them through each ceremony, but an important memento of their special day – a fitting publication then to showcase and help establish the new University of York brand. 

The new brand will be officially launched across the University this summer.

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