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Five key things: U of T’s Brand Portal

ksoobria — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 16:41:41 +0000

Five key things: U of T’s Brand Portal ksoobria Tue, 02/20/2024 - 11:41

An organization’s brand is more than a logo, colour or slogan. It encapsulates its vision, mission, character, aspirations and essence. The ��߲ݴ�ý’s brand expression, Defy Gravity, reflects and conveys the community’s spirit of discovery, drive to overcome obstacles and promise of inclusive excellence.

To help the U of T community bring Defy Gravity to life, the university recently completed a major revamp of its Brand Portal, which brings together resources, guidelines, strategy and assets.

“The Defy Gravity brand is an evolving story, and we wanted to ensure that the brand portal evolved as well,” said Tanya Kreinin, U of T’s assistant vice-president, brand strategy and chief marketing officer. “The new portal is an enterprise solution based on extensive consultation with the U of T community and in-depth analysis of best practices in both public and private sectors.”

Here are five key features of the relaunched Brand Portal:

Understand the brand. Strong brands are built on strategies that authentically capture an institution’s vision, mission, values and character. The Brand section in the portal includes U of T’s brand story and brand themes and explains Defy Gravity’s underlying philosophy.
Telling the brand story. One of the ways by which the brand is defined is its ‘voice.’ That ‘voice’ can be heard in news stories, social media posts or even signage around campus. The portal has information about tone, storytelling principles and a comprehensive editorial style guide for anyone writing on behalf of or about the university.
Visualizing the brand. From logos and typography to image layout and video endplates, visual elements are among the most easily recognizable aspects of a brand. The Brand Portal includes extensive guidance on U of T’s visual identity, including university signatures, typography, brand colours and how to use the Defy Gravity logo.
The story in numbers. The recently added section on reputational materials, stats and rankings is a one-stop-shop for reputational and brand-building content. It includes frequently updated rankings and data, the Impact Presentation and key messaging so that the most current information is always accessible and easy to find.
Brand assets. Whether you’re building a multi-platform campaign, planning an event or just looking to update an email signature, the Brand Portal has assets that faculty and staff can leverage to animate the brand in all university communications. Some of the tools and templates users will find include presentation templates, event signage, branded merchandise, marketing and communications planning templates and ready-to-use video content.

Five key things: U of T’s Brand PortalFive key things: U of T’s Brand Portal

Kevin Soobrian

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Navi virtual assistant expands to incorporate more U of T resources

ksoobria — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 17:19:45 +0000

Navi virtual assistant expands to incorporate more U of T resources ksoobria Tue, 08/15/2023 - 13:19

In August 2023, Navi is widening its scope to offer even more assistance to students, staff, faculty and librarians across the ��߲ݴ�ý’s three campuses.

The virtual assistant, originally implemented to help students access mental health resources on campus and in the community, is expanding to incorporate general U of T resources into its offerings, through the same easy-to-use chat interface.

“Navi has become a critical tool in helping students find mental health resources,” says Sandy Welsh, Vice Provost, Students. “And now we have an opportunity to enhance the service it’s providing. Allowing Navi to guide users to general, tri-campus resources helps Navi become a more robust tool that serves the U of T community on an even larger scale.”

While Navi’s commitment to connecting users with mental health supports remains, the tool will now include other on-campus resources such as study supports, finding community, how to connect with a registrar and more. The automated assistant uses a chat format, so users can communicate in full sentences instead of entering keywords. Typing phrases like “I’m having trouble sleeping” or “I want to learn how to take better notes” allows Navi to recognize what users need and quickly link to appropriate resources.

And it’s not just for students, says Welsh.

“Navi is incredibly helpful for faculty and staff, staff, faculty and librarians as well. When a student or colleague asks for assistance, we don’t need to have all the answers – we can use a tool that directs us to the appropriate resources. Navi can help us all become more familiar with the incredible programs and services offered across the University.”

Welsh encourages all staff, faculty and librarians faculty to include the Navi widget on U of T webpages, and for student-facing staff, in their email signatures.

As always, information shared with Navi is completely anonymous and users are reminded that the resources and supports provided do not replace workshops or one-to-one conversations with experts.

To access the tool, visit uoft.me/navi.

Navi virtual assistant expands to incorporate more U of T resources

Tool will now include on-campus resources such as study supports, finding community, registrarial information and more

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Communications Staff

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Hart House Literary and Library Committee

sgupta — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 20:47:13 +0000

Hart House Literary and Library Committee sgupta Thu, 01/07/2016 - 15:47

URL

https://harthouse.ca/committees/literary-and-library-committee

resources

Five key things: U of T’s Brand Portal

Navi virtual assistant expands to incorporate more U of T resources

Hart House Literary and Library Committee

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