This project is to design a brand manual and visual planning system for Tsinghua University. It aims to jointly build the brand temperament of the university based on the academic heritage of a century-old university and the spirit of continuous self-improvement.
The design goal is to present the university's brand characteristics of "continuous self-improvement and moral integrity" through systematic visual structure and cultural narrative.
The entire volume is themed "1911. Century Heritage", integrating academic rigor and humanistic depth to demonstrate the academic structure and spiritual heritage of Tsinghua University as a world-class university.
design challenge
Tsinghua University is not only the top institution of higher education in China, but also a spiritual symbol of national self-improvement. The design needs to achieve the following balance in the visual language: Academic × Humanistic: It must not only reflect the academic height of a world-class university, but also convey the humanistic warmth and spiritual depth of a century-old institution; Tradition × Modernity: It must maintain the historical richness since the school was founded in 1911, but also show an innovative pattern for the future; Solemnity × Affinity: It must not only continue the academic authority and solemn demeanor of a famous school, but also integrate the open and inclusive expression of the times. The core challenge is - how to make the design have both the depth of history and the height of the times, so that the brand has both academic authority and spiritual resonance.
Strategy and philosophy
The project takes "academic order and spiritual inheritance" as the core design concept. Visual philosophy: Based on the dual-line logic of "coexistence of inheritance and innovation" as the visual basis, it embodies academic rigor and spiritual eternity; Structural logic: adopts an academic publishing-level typesetting system to organize the university culture in layers, forming a multi-dimensional structure of "history-academic-humanities-vision"; color system: Tsinghua purple + college gray + Collection gold is the main color, supplemented by school emblem totems and calligraphy elements, symbolizing inheritance, scholarship and excellence; graphic language: the school emblem heraldry, Chinese character grid, architectural lines and year numbers are integrated to establish a "visual system under academic order"; cultural expression: the school motto calligraphy, historical archives and scholar images are introduced to make the manual both collectible and spiritual. The core of the concept: to present academic heights through visual order and to continue the spirit of Tsinghua University through cultural language.
Design presentation
Cover design: The main color is elegant ivory white and hot stamping technology, reflecting solemnity and inheritance; the center uses "1911", the founding year of the school and the Tsinghua University emblem as the visual core, supplemented by hot stamping and hardcover technology; the title is bilingual in Chinese and English, conveying the pattern of a world-class university. Chapter logic: 1. Centennial traceability; 2. Academic inheritance; 3. Humanistic spirit; 4. Department style; 5. Global pattern; 6. Facing the future.
Internal page design: Modular structure: historical pages and academic pages are alternately presented, forming a rhythm of "inheritance × innovation"; layout design: using Chinese character grid shading and Tsinghua purple embellishment to form a "bookish" visual tension, paying tribute to academic traditions; image language: using documentary images of historical archives, campus buildings, and academic scenes to convey heaviness and respect; cultural page: introducing the school motto calligraphy, the evolution of the school emblem, and scholars' handwriting to express spiritual inheritance. Craftsmanship and materials: The cover uses special textured paper + hot stamping of the year and school emblem + embossing process; the inner pages are made of high-weight art paper to ensure a high degree of restoration of historical images and cultural elements. The overall style embodies "academic height × historical thickness × spiritual temperature".
Achievements and Impact
As the official image publication of the university, the handbook is widely used in international academic exchanges, school celebrations and enrollment promotions. Through the integration of academic logic × cultural narrative × brand order, the design successfully created the visual image of Tsinghua University as "both world-class and national spirit". The project is considered by the school as "one of the brand publications with the most academic depth and cultural heritage" and has become the core blueprint of Tsinghua's visual standards system.