Promotional merchandise portal

Source: https://brand.warwick.ac.uk/en/promotional-merchandise/ Parent: https://brand.warwick.ac.uk/en/brand-governance/

Promotional merchandise portal

The University's promotional merchandise portal gives colleagues across Warwick a simple, reliable way to order institutionally-branded promotional items. The portal is the only way to order Warwick-branded promotional merchandise, and it brings together a select range of quality products that are easy to order, fully brand compliant, and designed to reflect the University’s values and ambitions.

Visit the promotional merchandise portal

Why do we need a portal?

Promotional items can be powerful tools for building recognition, pride and belonging, but only when they’re quality, genuinely useful, and responsibly produced. Working closely with the Sustainability and Procurement teams, and our approved suppliers, we’ve introduced a coordinated approach that makes it easier to choose promotional items that:

• Support Warwick's sustainability strategy.
• Save time and reduce administrative burden.
• Use approved artwork, Pantone-matched colours, and consistent brand application.
• Are sourced from trusted and responsible suppliers.
• Are durable, reusable, and designed to minimise waste.
• Benefit from shared stock and economies of scale.

The result is a more professional, coherent, and environmentally responsible approach to promotional merchandise across the University.

What you'll find on the portal

The portal launches with a focused, ready-to-order range of widely useful items, including: 

• Lanyards in eight approved institutional colours.
• Pens, a notebook, a tote bag, and a reusable water bottle in selected colourways.

All products are fully artworked, brand-compliant, and available to order from stock held at Graphic Arts. 

This is phase one of the range. It has been intentionally designed to prioritise sustainability, versatility, and value. The range will continue to evolve over time based on business needs and recipient feedback. If you’d like to suggest a future product or share feedback from a recipient, please contact the Brand Team.

How to use the promotional merchandise portal

Ordering merchandise

Ordering is straightforward: 

1. Visit the promotional merchandise portal.
2. Browse the available products.
3. Follow the instructions on the portal to place your order.

You’ll receive confirmation and delivery details directly, and most items will arrive within 2–3 working days, depending on stock availability.

Personalising your promotional items

You can add personalisation to the institutionally-branded products available on our promotional merchandise portal using options such as:

• Printed bands
• Inserts or postcards
• Swing tags
• Packaging

These options allow you to personalise items for specific audiences or events without permanently altering the core product. Because the personalised elements can be easily removed, the core item can be reused for another purpose or by another department, helping to reduce waste and extend its useful life.

The promotional items themselves are not directly personalised. Permanent department- or campaign-specific branding often limits reuse, incurs minimum print quantity charges, requires bespoke artwork, and results in unused stock sitting in cupboards or being incinerated.

Using a single, institution-wide brand on promotional merchandise:

• Ensures consistency, colour accuracy and recognisability.
• Supports a clear, unified Warwick identity.
• Allows items to be shared across departments.
• Enables unused stock to be passed on, redistributed or reused.
• Avoids minimum print quantities through shared stock.

If you are looking to customise your promotional merchandise, please download our personalisation guide and contact the Brand Team. We can help you explore creative, on-brand ways to personalise your items.

Departmental lockups

Departmental lockups are not applied to promotional merchandise to ensure a consistent and professional representation of our brand across all materials. 

While we recognise that departments may wish to include their name on items, department-specific branding often limits reuse, incurs minimum print quantity charges, requires bespoke artwork, and results in unused stock sitting in cupboards or being incinerated.

Departments can still personalise promotional items using the approaches outlined above, helping to create awareness and a sense of belonging for recipients, while keeping products reusable. Please contact the Brand Team for guidance and support.

If you need something that's not on the portal

The promotional merchandise portal is the official route for ordering promotional merchandise because it ensures every item meets Warwick’s brand and sustainability strategies. 

Promotional items are often one of the most visible expressions of the University’s brand, and the choices we make about quality and sustainability influence how Warwick is perceived as a leading institution. Ordering independently makes it difficult to guarantee consistency, and off-brand items can undermine the clarity and strength of our reputation.

If the portal doesn’t currently offer what you need, the Brand Team can advise on appropriate alternatives. Please note, that if you make an unapproved external order which has not been discussed with the Brand Team, you may incur costs for correcting any off-brand or non-compliant items. These costs will not be reimbursed.

Promotional clothing

Promotional clothing (such as free hoodies or t-shirts produced to give away at events, to support campaigns, or for specific cohorts) is currently being reviewed and cannot be ordered.  

Promotional clothing is one of the most environmentally challenging types of merchandise. Sizing constraints, over-ordering and time-specific branding mean items are rarely reused and often end up as waste. Textiles are also very difficult to recycle. The University is therefore taking a more considered approach to promotional clothing, and this area remains under review while we explore whether genuinely sustainable options are feasible in future. 

Branded uniform (such as Open Day staff t-shirts, Student Ambassador polo shirts and other types of uniform) can continue to be ordered. Please contact the Brand Team to order these items.

Ordering items for WBS and WMG

WBS and WMG have their own lines of branded merchandise, which continue to be available. Please use the promotional merchandise supplier framework to create and order your items. Please ensure the relevant marketing contact within your department is involved.

Help and support

If you encounter any issues with the promotional merchandise portal or have any questions in relation to promotional merchandise, please contact the Brand Team.

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