Local college receives major rebrand to ‘KLC’, following confusion with Newcastle College in Tyne & Wear

The constant bemusement results in NSCG Newcastle College receiving dozens of calls, emails and course applications on a daily basis from individuals wanting information relating to the ‘other’ Newcastle College based in Tyne & Wear.

After conducting focus groups and brand workshops with key internal and external stakeholders, the decision to rebrand NSCG Newcastle College to Knutton Lane College (KLC) was agreed, due to its state-of-the-art campus being located on Knutton Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Today, KLC has unveiled its new logo and brand identity, as well as new compulsory uniforms for students and staff to help embed the new logo identity throughout the entire college community.

Costing £1million, the new KLC logo and brand identity has been designed by the same creative agency who recently redesigned the BBC’s rebrand in 2021. Highlights include:

• New logo and brand identity that avoids confusion with other colleges.
• Newly designed college uniforms for students and staff (complete with stylish new lanyards) in place from Monday 25 April.
• New strapline of ‘We’re future learnin’ good’ to accompany the KLC logo.
• A brand-new strategic plan for KLC, which highlights the 11 secret ingredients to ensure KLC students kick-start their career with a 'zing'!

Participating in the re-brand focus group was Ken Tucky, whose son, Colonel, wanted to attend an Open Event at the College based in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Recalling his confusion having made the accidental 200-mile journey from his home in Clayton to Tyne & Wear to visit ‘Newcastle College’, he said: “After searching for the address online, it didn’t even register in my head that we’d put the wrong postcode in the satnav until we made it to the campus reception and were told in the most 'different' accent: "Thor's nar na Open Event heor t'nyte"."

“By the time we’d made it back home, it was 10pm! We’d missed the local college event and my son was really upset. I complained and was invited to participate in some consumer research and be a part of the rebranding exercise for the College, now KLC, as I was not the first person to raise a complaint like this.

Collin added: “We did have a lovely stop at Durham services, so it wasn’t all bad.”

Principal & Chief Executive, Karen Dobson OBE said: “We’re really proud of our new brand-identity and we hope these changes are met with the same level of enthusiasm by our local community. We’re confident that this positive change will certainly set us apart and provide a lasting legacy for the College moving forward.”