Introduction Brand identity is the term applied to names, designs, symbols, or combinations of these that organisations use to differentiate themselves from competitors (Mullin, Hardy, & Sutton, 2000). A number of visual/graphical touch- points (for example, logo, website, signage, advertising, business cards, environment) are used by corporations to operationalise brand identity (van den Bosch, de Jong, & Elving, 2005). Visual brand identity helps organisations position their brand through a consumer’s perception, which is the process The Marketing Review, 2014, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 431-445 http://dx.doi.org/10.1362/146934714X14185702841406 ISSN1469-347X print / ISSN 1472-1384 online ©Westburn Publishers Ltd. Developing a framework of integrated visual brand identity touch-point (IVBIT) programmes in universities Rahim Hussain, University of Dubai, UAE Ahmed Shahriar Ferdous, Deakin University, Australia* Creating and maintaining brand identity is regarded as a formative brand building step to the creation of corporate reputation and image. Similarly, a university’s perceived excellence may guide the decision of prospective students, assist scholars considering offers of employment, and help federal agencies awarding grants for business consultancies. This paper develops a conceptual framework surrounding the use of visual brand identity touch-points in the context of universities as higher education service providers. The paper draws on literature related to corporate branding to develop a proposed theoretical framework: integrated visual brand identity touch-point (IVBIT) programme. Developing a consistent and holistic IVBIT programme should assist universities in gaining a higher corporate brand reputation among their various key stakeholders. Additionally, the paper identifies how the implementation of a holistic IVBIT programme is positively linked to a university’s service brand equity. Keywords Visual brand identity, Brand touch-points, University branding *Correspondence details and biographies for the authors are located at the end of the article. the marketing review Delivered by Ingenta to: Chinese University of Hong Kong IP: 5.101.217.61 On: Tue, 21 Jun 2016 16:21:48