A B-Side BY Armin

Long Island University

Established in 1926, Long Island University is reportedly “one of the largest and most comprehensive private universities in the country” with over 575 degree programs and certificates and over 23,000 students. This month they have introduced a new identity to go with their shortened name of LIU. Why the triangle? Simple: “Instead of dotting the ‘i’ in a conventional way, we chose to use a symbol to add meaning to the logo and make it more ownable. The upward-pointing triangle represents upward mobility and aspiration. The triangle also is commonly viewed as a delta symbol, which means change. These associations are a natural fit for a campaign that urges students to achieve their potential through the transformative power of education.” Yuck all around. Press release here.

Thanks to Stephen Dettling for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

Sign Language for Swoosh

Founded in 1864, Gallaudet University in Washington, DC is “the world’s only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students.” Gallaudet is a bilingual university, offering all of its courses in both English and American Sign Language to close to 1,800 students with more than 900 employees, of which almost half are deaf or hard of hearing. This week Gallaudet introduced a new logo, designed by an internal design committee with two Gallaudet alumni, Zhou Fang and Scott Carollo, credited as the designers. The process of the redesign has been thoroughly documented here.

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A B-Side BY Armin

University of Southern California

Established in 1880, the University of Southern California counts with 37,000 enrolled students. A new identity has been designed by Pentagram partner DJ Stout in Austin, TX. Press release here. A quick overview of the identity guidelines can be found here [PDF].

Thanks to Alberto G. Manuel for the tip.

Opinion BY John J Custer

I’m With…

Formerly known as Polytechnic South West until 1992, Plymouth University is the ninth largest university in the UK, with a student body reaching just over 30,000 students along with 3,000 faculty and staff members. In June of this year, Plymouth University launched its new identity, “With Plymouth University,” designed jointly by here design and Buddy.

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University of San Francisco

Founded in 1855, the University of San Francisco is “one of only 28 Jesuit Catholic colleges in the country and the oldest university in San Francisco” with under 10,000 students enrolled. A new logo was introduced in August, designed by Studio Hinrichs. “The cross formed in the center of the refreshed symbol represents University’s Jesuit Catholic identity. The arrows point both outward and inward reflecting the ongoing dialogue and engagement between the university and society.” Press release here.

Thanks to JMarc Nijborg for the tip.

A B-Side BY Armin

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Established in 1869, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a public higher education institution, has more than 20,000 total enrolled students. Earlier this month they introduced a new identity designed by Chicago, IL-based Lipman Hearne. A page dedicated to the new branding is here.

Thanks to Dan Reedy for first tip.

Guest Editorial by Roy Levitt Posted BY Brand New

Sparky Benched by Nike

Founded in 1885, Arizona State University is the largest public research university in the United States with a 2010 student enrollment of 70,440. Its Division I athletic teams, known as the Sun Devils, has collectively won 136 national championships to date. The Sun Devils have been recently rebranded and the Sparky mascot illustration, which had been used since 1946, has been replaced as the team’s primary identifier. This rebranding effort was completed by the Nike Graphic identity Group. According to ASU, the objectives of this initiative were “…to create a bold, high- performance athletic image and a promotional campaign that would maximize enthusiasm and interest in supporting the university, but to do so with minimum out-of-pocket costs.”

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A B-Side BY Armin

Charles Sturt University

Established in 1989, Charles Sturt University has close to 36,000 students enrolled across various campuses in Australia. It offers undegraduate, graduate and postgraduate degrees and has a good offering of distance learning options. A new identity was released last month.

Thanks to Edward Kindred for the tip.

Opinion BY Clinton Duncan

Old School goes New School, Sort of

Established in 1850, the University of Sydney is Australia’s first and oldest University. Here we have what’s known as a “sandstone university,” — an unofficial moniker attached to those institutions regarded as the older, and more prestigious — it’s like using “Ivy League” as a shorthand for privilege, class, establishment, achievement, etc. In a rather long-distance collaboration, the University was rebranded last year/early this year by Lippman Hearne in Chicago, who created the strategy and logo, and Moon Sydney, who handled the identity.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Western Washington University

Finally! A university logo designed by one of its students: “During research, [Western Washington University’s] strong sense of place — its beautiful location near the Cascades and beside Bellingham Bay and the Puget Sound — was a primary quality about Western that inspired prospective students and others. As such, the abstract logo design — by Western student Branson Anderson — captures Western’s unique sense of place: the soaring beauty of Mount Baker and the waves of nearby waters.” Links to press release and online brand guidelines. Founded in 1893, WWU is funded by the state of Washington and has approximately 14,000 students.

Thanks to Alan Hussey for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

Forward-Looking Phoenix

Founded in 1976 to serve working adults seeking higher education who couldn’t attend a traditional university environment, the University of Phoenix (UOPX) is currently the largest for-profit university with more than 420,000 undergraduate and 78,000 graduate students. Most students take their courses and complete their curriculum online but can also attend classes at one of the 200 nondescript “campuses” (in quotes, because they are mostly beige buildings that don’t trigger notions of idyllic campuses) around the U.S. — in fact, they state that there is a campus “within 10 miles of 87 million Americans.” UOPX has long been under scrutiny because of the perceived lower level of education and standards that other universities strive for, and it also receives Federal funding for loans despite being a very profitable enterprise. And some frown upon their athletics program which consists not of teams playing in divisions but of buying the naming rights to the University of Phoenix Stadium where the NFL Cardinals play; they were also a big sponsor in the recent LeBron James spectacle where he announced his move to South Beach. But all this is just baggage lugging around a recent redesign of identity the university has gone through internally.

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