David,
Regret that I haven't time to revisit Stafford Beers'
substantial volumes.
As Kriss points out the Student Union isn't an appropriate
example due to its independent constitution. However imho
"brand image" isn't about total conformity, rather to do
with a unifying identifier (bit like MacDonald's "golden
arches" even though the buildings are architecturally
dissimilar). With this in mind we advised all departments
here that we expected them to include the new APU logo on
their own sites and made available the SSI's that help give
our main site its consistency. All use the logo but only
some the SSI's, allowing them to express
individuality as they choose.
(So the answer to your initial question is
probably "high variety"!)
Regards
Maurice
On Mon, 02 Oct 2000 16:49:07 +0100 David R Newman
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> K Fearon wrote:
>
> > On Thu, 28 Sep 2000, Maurice Crockard wrote:
> >
> > > However "brand image" is important and I believe it helps
> > > to have recognisable reinforcement between paper documents
> > > (e.g. prospectuses, Clearing postcards) and web documents.
> > > We have attempted to do this for some time by obtaining
> > > images, styles, colours etc. from the graphic design
> > > companies that we use.
> >
> > It helps if the departments concerned can bear in mind that they are part
> > of a wider institution and that this means using the institution's
> > corporate ID...!
>
> So do you want your student union site to look official? Or would you
> prefer to distinguish between different parts of a website in the same
> way architects hint at distinctions between different buildings on
> a university campus?
>
> To put some theory behind it, have a look a Stafford Beer's work on
> cybernetics, then tell me whether a university will prosper as a high
> variety or low variety system.
>
> --
> Dr. David R. Newman, Queen's University Belfast, School of
> Management and Economics, Belfast BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland (UK)
> mailto:[log in to unmask] Tel. 028 90335011 FAX: 028 90249881
> http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt/staff/dave/
>
>
Kindest Regards
Maurice
----------------------
Maurice Crockard Tel: +44(0)1245 493131 x 4774
Web Co-ordinator & Information Strategy Manager
Strategic Information & Planning Unit
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