08 Inside Higher Ed · 11 June 2026

Clarity may be the most distinctive higher-ed brand asset

A higher-education branding analysis warns that inventive programme names can make services harder to understand and compare.

Name plainly

Use familiar terms for costs, credits, support and pathways.

Add character second

Layer distinctive language onto clear descriptions.

Test transferability

Check whether a student can understand it outside your institution.

The Story

Inside Higher Ed argues that institutions can over-brand ordinary services and create unnecessary confusion. When every campus gives its support centres a different name, learners lose the common vocabulary needed to compare options and find help. ([insidehighered.com](https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/beyond-transfer/2026/06/11/shared-language-clear-pathways-credits-costs-careers?utm_source=openai))

For designers, this is a useful counterweight to the pressure to make every touchpoint feel proprietary. Distinctive visual identity is not the same as distinctive terminology; sometimes the most humane choice is to make the information immediately recognisable.

A practical Studio Wensday audit for education clients: highlight every branded term on a prospective-student journey, then ask whether a first-generation student would know what it means without a glossary. Keep the poetry where it helps; remove it where it blocks action.

Studio Wensday Angle

In higher education, plain language can be a stronger differentiator than clever naming.