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Higher Education

Logo-therapy

The college sent out a little survey on potential logos as part of a re-branding move. In a word, YIKES! Now, you know I’m not the type to resist change just b/c it’s change. I’m also not opposed to the college making an effort to make itself more visible, improve its reputation, attact students and donors, or whatever. Like it or not, a college is a brand, so it might as well be the best brand possible.

By coincidence of course there’s a lot of recent news about the bad reception with the London 2012 Olympic logo. It’s certainly possible for even the largest venture to take a bad turn somewhere during the design phase.

My own aesthetic tends more to the understated. Many of my colleagues might prefer something more traditional. The marketing folks might want something more casual, lively, and fun. I’m sure we’ll get what the marketing people want. Would it be a trademark infringement to put a miter board on Ronald McDonald? However at this point, we’re talking about the image that will go on the top of college documents. Maybe it could be a little more academic in style.

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4 replies on “Logo-therapy”

Thanks R.J. I know that many of my colleagues would agree with the sentiments you express there. And I don’t disagree. I think it’s very hard for a outside firm or anyone really to manufacture an identity of an institution as diverse as a college.
The local community college where my wife works was recently rebranded and their slogan become “Explore. Discover. Transform.” Apparently the devised it from interviews with students about why they went to the college. It’s not great, but it could be worse.
On the other hand you could translate “please make your tuition payments on time” into Latin and some folks would be happy with that.
Personally, I would try to move away from the latinate and the allusive (or quotation). I like the challenge of coming up with an English phrase that is not cloying or commerical or mission statement speak.

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