XJTLU conference seeks campus-wide consensus on brand identity

On 27 October, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) held its Brand Alignment & Co-creation Conference, bringing together staff and students to discuss how the University presents itself in a fast-changing communication landscape. The event was also the second session of the XJTLU Brand Communication Advisory Committee.

Attendees included Dr Xin Bi, Chief Officer of Data and Director of the Centre for Knowledge and Information; brand and communications staff from across the University; and student representatives.

New policies

In his opening speech, Dr Bi said a university’s brand reflects its accumulated academic reputation and public trust, and is shaped by every communication it sends out. “The brand and responsibility are seen in the details,” he said. With communication channels multiplying, he added, clear management principles and consistent external messaging have become especially pressing.

Dr Xin Bi

To meet that need, the conference introduced two newly approved policies: the Policy on the Use of the XJTLU Name and Visual Identity, and the Policy on the Management of XJTLU Social Media Accounts.

Tiantian Xu, Deputy Head of University Marketing and Communications, outlined the new rules. They strengthen visual consistency, standardise the use of brand elements, require units to file any logos they design, and streamline how official social media accounts are approved and retired. Schools remain free to highlight their own character, Xu said, but all units will follow shared basic principles, balancing “guidelines” with “vitality”.

She also mentioned the University has developed a “5C Brand Ecosystem” to move XJTLU from an information provider to a builder of a brand ecosystem. Driven by a unified narrative and AI technology, it covers five areas: core, content, communications, culture, and credibility.

Tiantian Xu

Brand-building on the ground

Two speakers shared examples from the front line: Tingting Zhao, Team Leader of Museum Education and Engagement at the XJTLU Museum, and Moyu Zhang, Executive Assistant at the School of Intelligent Manufacturing Ecosystem.

Zhao said the Museum brings the University’s history and spirit to life through a student guide team, AI-powered tours and campus cultural landmarks.

She summed up the Museum’s mission in two words: “passing on” and “growing”. Passing on means telling the XJTLU story and sharing the University’s educational philosophy, and growing means continually updating the Museum’s cultural offer to strengthen the University’s brand, she said.

Tingting Zhao

Zhang presented examples of how the School’s brand and its syntegrative projects reinforce each other. “Building a brand requires passion; it requires turning everyday curiosity into tangible designs bit by bit,” she said.

Moyu Zhang

Recognising outstanding units

Dr Bi and Xu presented the XJTLU Brand Communication Contribution Awards for the 2025-26 academic year and the XJTLU Outstanding Social Media Account Awards for the same year respectively, to encourage more teams to take part in brand building.

The venue also hosted booths on policy Q&A, souvenirs, surveys, and recruitment for the XJTLU Brand Ambassador programme. Staff and students who stopped by gave feedback that will inform the University’s brand management and communication strategies.

XJTLU’s brand work is anchored in university-wide policies to ensure brand consistency, but Schools, staff, and students will still have room to innovate.

The University will continue to build a brand shaped by people inside and outside the campus, that reflects its character.

Staff answering questions at the booth on the brand identity and social media policies

The booth on the University-student co-creation space

Staff and students filling in the brand survey

By Jiayan Ji and Xinmin Han
Edited by Patricia Pieterse
Photos by Jingrui Duan