27 November 2009
	VEGA SCHOOL A-V of branding By Yvonne Fontyn Finding sustainable, creative and strategic solutions

it's all about brand. That's the approach taken by the Vega School. "Vega teaches people how to think. We're not an advertising or design school, but a brand school," says national marketing head Lisa Steingold. "Advertising is about creating a demand; in our eyes, brands serve a purpose beyond just moving goods. It's about solving 21st-century problems, finding solutions that are sustainable, and making a difference. "Rather than telling our students, here is the brief', we say, here is the brand and its challenges'," she adds. "The medium is interconnected with the brand, and part of the students' brief is to take a media-neutral stance and then consider which media is best for the message and market." The school has two main streams: strategic and creative. Full-time students, of which the school has 1 200 nationwide, can do a BA and/or honours degree specialising in creative brand communications or a BA in brand-building & management. There are also postgraduate options. Vega Orbit offers short and part-time courses. Big-name companies are lining up to participate in the school's "brand challenges" where s tudents put together a communications plan. In return, companies contribute to the Vega bursary fund and students undertake three-week internships with the companies. This year the school competed in the Branson School of Entrepreneurship awards, for which there were 142 finalists. "One of our first-year groups presented one of the top 10 business plans," says Steingold.