Creating a next-gen education technology services company

Bridgepoint Education, which owned Ashford University and the University of the Rockies, was about to embark on a transformative journey. It sought to return its universities to the not-for-profit sector, while focusing the remaining business on becoming a new education technology services company that would help educational institutions and employers thrive.

So, to navigate this inflection point, Bridgepoint partnered with Lippincott to create a dynamic, meaningful brand for the new company with a breakthrough brand positioning, name, visual system, and brand voice.

To develop the brand, we first gathered deep insights into customer needs and emerging trends in the higher education landscape. We found several areas where universities felt current market offerings didn’t deliver results that would fit their needs, including increasing student retention, innovating the student experience, and driving a quality online learning experience through analytics. From this foundation, we developed a brand that would reflect these needs, positioning the new organization as a next generation customer experience company that creates highly personalized interactions through predictive data and analytics, anchored in a highly emotive purpose – to help everyone be in a class of their own.

The new name, Zovio, positions the brand as an intelligence hub. Inspired by the Greek word Sophos, meaning “skillful and intelligent,” and the Latin vi- for “visionary,” with a modern twist, the name speaks to our ability to provide users with the right insights, helping them make smarter decisions.

The dynamic visual identity and brand voice is open, purposeful, and bold. The logo is set in a confident and energetic brighter orange, alluding to energy and possibility. Given the logo shape is made up of multiple, reconfigurable components, it can be reimagined in countless ways, in just the same way Zovio uses data to create radically innovative and truly personalized experiences.