IGNITE – Empowering Students’ Union

Humber Students’ Federation, a student-led organization operating in the sphere of student life at Humber College and sister university Guelph-Humber, came to Jacknife with a mission for a complete rebrand.

Despite high favourability and job approval ratings from the student body, the HSF brand suffered from an institutional visual identity and name that, in the minds of students, aligned them with school administrations, a perception that undermined their primary messages of student advocacy and empowerment. Combined, these factors acted as a barrier to key programs and services.

The name IGNITE was selected based on strategy sessions which drew on the knowledge and participation of students and captures the energy and potential inherent in the brand experience. The colour scheme evokes a sense of controlled energy. The firefly mark, representing the potential waiting to be realized inside each and every student, confidently set aside any of the visual cues one might expect in the post-secondary category.

We brought the brand to life through a fully responsive website and lively gathering spaces at both campuses with custom illustrations and graphics, large-format wall treatments, light boxes and one-of-a-kind modular furniture. Indicators from the Jacknife-led launch events showed that the new brand viewed by its audience was engaging and, most importantly, relevant.