Preserving Brand Identity Amidst Change

The Challenge

Gateway Community College, a cornerstone of the New Haven community, enriches the lives of students from diverse backgrounds through exceptional offerings and opportunities. In 2023, as Gateway became part of the CT State Community College system. Its priority was clear: preserve its distinct identity and community reputation while assuring stakeholders that its longstanding mission and values remained steadfast.

The Approach

Our collaboration with Gateway Community College began with a deep understanding of the college’s rich history, strong community ties, and the sensitive nature of its transition into the CT State system. The goal was to strike a careful balance—honoring Gateway’s established legacy while embracing the new statewide identity. We worked closely with the Gateway team to uncover the values, perceptions, and priorities that would guide a thoughtful and strategic brand evolution. This groundwork laid the foundation for a multifaceted approach focused on clarity, consistency, and community trust.

Key steps included:

Brand Positioning: We focused on refining Gateway’s brand positioning to establish a unique presence among the eleven other community colleges within CT State.
Customized Communication Strategy: We developed a tailored communication strategy that emphasized the importance of specific messaging for various target markets, including alumni, students and families, donors, faculty and staff, and community partners.
Integrated Visual Identity: To seamlessly blend the new CT State brand with Gateway’s established visual identity, we designed a suite of marketing collateral.

The Impact

Our collaboration resulted in captivating email templates, engaging flyers, dynamic social media templates, and elevated event invitations. Each piece harmoniously fused the new identity with the familiarity that Gateway’s community has come to embrace. This thoughtful approach not only preserved Gateway’s unique essence but also enhanced its visibility within the broader CT State system, ensuring continued trust and engagement from all stakeholders.

Words From Our Client

“Before we started working with (Krative) our challenge really was to ensure that our individual identity was not lost or our messaging wasn’t confusing. We really needed to hone in on who our audiences were and what we wanted them to know about us and we needed tools and technical pieces and templates and brand colors and all of that stuff. So that’s what we needed, and that’s what we got!”

Heidi Green

Associate Dean of Institutional Advancement, Gateway Community College