Somerville College

Rise Campaign

Founded in 1879 as one of the University of Oxford’s first women’s colleges, Somerville College has a proud history. Distinguished alumnae of the College’s first century included Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, and Dorothy Hodgkin.

The 21st century has brought new challenges to many higher edcuation institutions, and Somerville has responded with a long-term strategic plan to strengthen its future. A campaign, to raise the funds to realise the ambitions laid out in a new College Plan, was launched in 2023 – the largest ever undertaken at Somerville.

Focusing on four key pillars – Resilience, Inclusivity, Sustainability and Excellence – the RISE campaign’s objectives are to build Somerville’s resources still further, to nurture its people, include the excluded, support the highest levels of research and teaching, and protect the environment.

Following a rebranding exercise we completed in 2020 for Somerville, we  were asked to create the identity for the RISE campaign. Our brief was to capture the optimism and energy of the future-focused College strategy and develop a powerful visual brand with the flexibility to carry compelling campaign messages across a wide range of media and applications.

The RISE campaign was launched across a variety of mediums including a Case for Support brochure, a micro-website, social media messaging and various printed collateral items.

The campaign has met with success beyond expectations, so much so that Somerville has increased its original target of £30m (which it achieved in the first three months of the campaign) to £50m.