Like their 'new university' contemporaries, Middlesex are faced with the challenge of marketing themselves nationally and internationally to a truly diverse range of students in a sector where universities appear to be increasingly similar to one another.

For the last three years we've been Middlesex's identity advisers, lead designers, art directors and brand guardians. We've created the distinctive 'signature' logo, directed an array of photoshoots, designed a swathe of brochures, and developed sub-looks for schools and initiatives around the university. Our internal communications workshops have shown how if you work in admissions, how you talk to prospective students on the phone can make a real difference in how they think about Middlesex.

Since creating a strong and true positioning - drawing on unlikely strengths in their existing culture - we've worked each year to keep Middlesex ahead of the game. So much so that Education Marketing magazine November 2005 identifies only seven distinctive HE brands. Middlesex is one of them. last year, our principal consultant was awarded an honorary degree for his role in their brand positioning.

Since launch, Middlesex have seen a 6% increase in applications, and had their prospectuses nominated as finalists in the prestigious HEIST awards. The next few years will be just as critical. We hope that communicating them will be equally as challenging and rewarding.

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