A B-Side BY Armin

Johns Hopkins University

About: (Est. 1876) Johns Hopkins University (informally Johns Hopkins, JHU, or just Hopkins) is a not-for-profit private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland. The university was founded on January 22, 1876, and named for its benefactor, the philanthropist Johns Hopkins. Johns Hopkins maintains campuses in Maryland; Washington, D.C.; Italy; China and Singapore. Johns Hopkins pioneered the concept of the modern research university in the United States and has ranked among the world’s top of such universities throughout its history. As of 2011, thirty-seven Nobel Prize winners have been affiliated with Johns Hopkins, and the university’s research is among the most cited in the world. (Source: Wikipedia).

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: Could be worse, I guess. The elements in the shield all seem to come three different logos (or clip art libraries). A few applications below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Announcement.

Select quote: “The final design for the main university logo is based on existing iconography and is rooted in the official academic seal. The book represents knowledge and discovery, the globe symbolizes the university’s worldwide reach, and the crest of Lord Baltimore indicates the university’s connection to its community. Some schools and divisions, like the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Applied Physics Laboratory, feature their own unique graphics, enclosed within a shield shape that is common to all the logos.”

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In Brief BY Armin

In Brief: May Miscellany

Haven’t done this round-up in a while and I could use a little break from all this heavy-duty identity critiquing. So here are some interesting stories.

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West Chester University

About: (Est. 1812) “West Chester University has evolved into a comprehensive university which excels in teacher education, business, health, natural and social sciences, music and the arts. Ranked among Kiplinger’s 100 best values in public colleges for its academic quality and affordability, the University is committed to providing access and serving the educational needs of a diverse student body. The second-largest school in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education and the fourth-largest university in the Philadelphia area, West Chester is a leading resource and partner in fostering the region’s economic, social and cultural vitality. Its 400-acre campus is situated in the beautiful, historically significant Brandywine Valley. Today, West Chester University offers more than 80 undergraduate and 70 master’s degree and graduate certificate programs.”

Design by: Erica Thompson with help from graphic designer, Joan Lordan.

Ed.’s Notes: I don’t know what’s worse, the cheap chiseled effect or the horrendous tracking difference between “West Chester” and “Uiversity”? Why choose. Both are. A few different views of the logo below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: WCU New Logo Unveiling.

Select quote: “In spring 2012, concurrent with the strategic planning process, Dr. Greg Weisenstein, president, invited the Marketing Committee to develop a new logo for West Chester University to give WCU’s main graphic image a fresh, updated look.”

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Opinion BY Armin

Oklahoma City University

About: (Est. 1904) “Oklahoma City University is a coeducational, urban private university located in Oklahoma City, in the Uptown district. The university is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers a wide variety of degrees in the liberal arts, fine arts, sciences and business. The only Oklahoma institution listed in the top tier of the regional, master’s-level university category by U.S. News and World Report, Oklahoma City University is also listed in Forbes’ “Best Christian Colleges” & “100 Best College Buys.”“

Design by: Pentagram (DJ Stout, Austin).

Ed.’s Notes: It’s definitely an improvement but it’s hard to associate that kind of star drawing with higher education than Hollywood/Entertainment industry. Type is super pretty though. A few application image below (or after the jump) and more at the link.

Relevant links: Pentagram case study.

Select quote: “Before Stout and Delgado redesigned it, OCU’s primary logo featured a silhouetted likeness of the university’s iconic Gold Star Tower, a 286-foot red brick tower built in 1953 to honor Methodists who died in World War II. The tower, an Oklahoma City landmark located prominently in the center of campus, is topped off with a 200-pound star positioned at the end of a long pole like a star on a Christmas tree. ‘OCU’s sports teams are called The Stars after the Gold Star Tower, and many of the university’s celebrity alumni, like the Tony Award-winning Kristin Chenoweth, are singers and dancers and ‘stars’ of the stage,’ says Stout. ‘So it only seemed natural to turn their static star into a dancing star, with just a hint of the long pole it’s attached to at the top of that building.’”

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Opinion BY Armin

UConn’s Academics and Athletics Come Together

Established in 1881, the University of Connecticut is one of the leading public research universities in the U.S., attracting over 30,000 students to its six campuses. Additionally, its athletics team, the Huskies, have won 15 NCAA national team championships in the Division I, mainly through their women’s basketball team. Earlier this month the university first announced a new logo to be adopted organization-wide that would also reflect a marketing name change to UConn and later introduced a revised athletics identity, both designed by — guess who? — the Nike Graphic Identity Group.

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Opinion BY Armin

Golden, Angry Bears

The University of California Athletic Department manages the 29 varsity athletic programs and various club teams of the University of California, Berkeley, that compete in the NCAA Division I in the Pac-12 Conference. The California Golden Bears (or just “Cal”) have won 82 national team titles in 15 different sports over its history and are consistently one of the winningest teams across all universities in the U.S., and its students have accrued 159 Olympic medals, 91 of which are gold, as participants in the Games. Last week, Cal introduced a new identity and uniforms designed by Nike’s Graphic Identity Group. (Yes, them again).

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Suffolk University

About: (Est. 1906) “Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with 9,192 students (includes all campuses, 8,891 at the Boston location alone), it is the eighth largest university in Metro Boston. It was founded as a law school in 1906 and named after its location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.” (Source :Wikipedia)

Design by: In-house.

Ed.’s Notes: That’s one awkward icon. Is it flames? Wings? Feathers? Lettuce leaves? Type is nice. One more image of the logo with department lock-ups below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Suffolk University brand guidelines (PDF). Suffolk Journal article.

Select quote: “This new brand system gives us the tools to build a more unified and dynamic university image,” said Greg Gatlin, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “That will help us with marketing the university, recruiting, fundraising, communicating to current students, prospective students, alumni, employees, you name it. It’s more than just a logo. It’s a whole system of color, photography, typography, language. It’s really a new way of communicating who we are. The idea is to elevate the university’s brand and bring more people into the conversation.”.

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Gdańsk University of Technology

About: (Est. 1945) “The Gdańsk University of Technology (pol. Politechnika Gdańska) is a technical university in Gda?sk-Wrzeszcz, and one of the oldest universities in Poland. It has nine faculties and more than 24 thousand undergraduate, as well as about 400 doctoral students. In 2004 it employed 2500 people, including 1200 academics.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Design by: mamastudio.

Ed.’s Notes: It’s nice to know that it’s not only U.S. students that act all douchey and oppose university logos just because. (See Facebook link below). It’s even more annoying when the logo is actually good: those lion drawings are pretty sweet. Bigger view of the logo below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Facebook logo opposition page. Press Release (in Polish).

Select quote (Google translated): “Decorative form of lions holding a shield replaced with a regular rhythm figures geometric contour lines. Silhouette of lions and a list of the initials of the name of the university with the emblem of the city of Gdansk in the shield are inseparable, linked at the level of the whole symbolic and figurative meaning.”

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Opinion BY Armin

Executive Flock

Launched in 1999, the Executive Master of Science in Communications Management program (EMScom for short) is a 20-month, international part-time program for mid-career professionals at the Faculty of Communication Sciences in the Università della Svizzera Italiana in the Italian-speaking, and Italy-bordering city of Lugano, Switzerland. EMScom “prepares professionals in developing new perspectives in key management areas, including management of stakeholder relationships, public relations, reputation management, and corporate identity on a strategic level — all with the ultimate goal of enabling communicators to go beyond simply communication and to contribute to their organization’s corporate strategy.” Considered a leader in its field and wanting to raise their international profile, EMScom introduced a new identity designed by Moving Brands around the narrative of “Change your perspective” which highlights the “transformational process, both personally and professionally, that stakeholders identified as essential to the course.”

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Friday Likes BY Armin

Friday Likes 37

Today we play two truths and a lie: without reading the text can you guess which Like today isn’t real/implemented? Regardless, all these share simple executions and bold lines. My favorite.

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Opinion BY Armin

Harvard University Press Ditches Veritas

Established in 1913, Harvard University Press is a “leading publisher of convergent works in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences” and, as its name implies, it is the imprint of Harvard University. Facing challenges with making the transition to apps, digital reading devices, and web browsers using its previous identity — an honorable and traditional shield — Harvard University Press has introduced a new logo designed by New York, NY-based Chermayeff & Geismar.

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Opinion BY Armin

Follow-up of Follow-up: University of California

It’s official. The University of California has issued a press release confirming that they have revoked their new logo.

This controversy has created a major distraction for the UCOP External Relations Division as it pursues its broader mission: communicating to all Californians the vital contributions UC makes to the quality of their lives and the prosperity of the state.

The controversy has been fueled in large part by an unfortunate and false narrative, which framed the matter as an either-or choice between a venerated UC seal and a newly designed monogram.

Therefore, I have instructed the communications team to suspend further use of the monogram. For certain applications, this process could require a measure of time to complete. In due course, we will re-evaluate this element of the visual identity system.
— Daniel M. Dooley, senior vice president for external relations at the University of California Office of the President

Way to go 50,000-plus people. You win. Happy now? By next week you’ll have forgotten about even signing the petition but, in the course of that, you have caused irremediable damage in the confidence of the leadership team at UC to even consider doing anything new or different anytime soon that would potentially help improve your university system to succeed. Enjoy your seal.

Opinion BY Armin

X Marks the Finnish Line

Set to open in early 2013 the University of the Arts Helsinki (“Taideyliopisto” in Finnish) is the new organizational name for the merger of three existing universities: the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, the Sibelius Academy (music) and the Theatre Academy Helsinki. The first two were established in the mid to late 1800s while the latter in 1979, and together they have around 2,000 enrolled students. The new name was accepted in January and this week they introduced their identity, designed by Helsinki-based Bond.

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Opinion BY Armin

IC, UC, We all C for California

Established in 1868, the University of California (UC) is the public university system of the state of California that encompasses ten campuses: Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Davis, San Diego, Irvine, Santa Cruz, and Merced. Rarely will people say they attend or teach (past or present) at “UC” or “University of California”, they are usually very specific as to which campus — its most well known probably being Berkeley and UCLA — so UC and University of California are more of a parent company. UC “includes more than 220,000 students and more than 170,000 faculty and staff, with more than 1.5 million alumni living and working around the world.” So, it’s big. Starting in September, UC introduced a new logo and identity. No design credit given. And no specifications shared as to how, or if at all, this logo affects the unique logos of each of the ten campuses. Currently, the identity has been rolled out in an admissions website separate from the main site, a campaign website for an initiative called Onward California, and on another (see Stanford) very nice brand mini site.

Update: It has been confirmed that the design — everything from the logo to the video to the applications — was carried in-house, by an 11-person creative team formed about three and a half years ago. The post has also been updated with quotes from the team. (Full credits at the end.)

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Opinion BY Armin

Stanford Gets Classier

Established in 1891, Stanford is one of the most prominent universities in the United States. Currently, 6,927 undergraduate and 8,871 graduate students are enrolled and taught by 1,995 faculty members, which at the moment include 19 Nobel laureates, 4 Pulitzer Prize winners, 24 MacArthur Fellows. Its proximity to Silicon Valley has made it a breeding ground for nerds of all kinds, some of whom have grown up to be millionaire nerds (i.e., Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin). Without any fanfare, Stanford has recently updated its “signature” (or wordmark) while maintaining all the other symbols and emblems — the Block “S”, the Block “S” with Tree, and the University Seal — intact. A comprehensive identity section on their website covers the identity system in detail and the bulk of their online presence has converted to the new signature and web fonts while others catch up.

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Opinion BY Armin

From Barracks with Love

Established in 1992 in the small (pop. 71,000 and counting) town of Brandenburg an der Havel in Germany, Fachhochschule Brandenburg (wherein Fachhochschule translates to University of Applied Sciences) offers degree courses to approximately 3,000 students in engineering, business administration and economics as well as information technology and media. The university is housed in an 1880s building that originally served as barracks for the Prussian army. Last month Fachhochschule Brandenburg introduced a new identity designed by Thomas Manss & Company.

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La Trobe University

About: (Est. 1967) “La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. Since 2003, we have consistently ranked among the top 500 universities in the world.” 33,198 students were enrolled in 2011.

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: Wow. Copperplate. Good riddance.

Relevant links: N/A.

Thanks to Greg Nelson for the tip.

Opinion BY Armin

Pixelated Education

Established in 1955 in Victoria, BC, Canada, Royal Roads University (RRU) is a small, public university with about 2,500 students who study through a blend of on-site and online education to gain doctorate, graduate and undergraduate degrees. Perhaps RRU’s biggest claim to fame is its photogenic Hatley Castle, which doubled as Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in two X-Men films. Back in June, RRU introduced a new identity designed by Canadian marketing agency Cossette.

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George Washington University

Established in 1821, George Washington University (GWU) is a private university in Washington, D.C. with 25,000 students and 1,174 faculty. Last week GWU introduced a new identity designed jointly by Futurebrand and 160over90 — FutureBrand refreshed the core identity elements and 160over90 created the new look and feel for the university’s marketing and communication materials (seen in action here). Press release here. Thorough PDF with the identity guidelines here. Detail view of the logo below (or after the jump).

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Opinion BY Armin

New University of the Arts London Logo, or Why I Hate Helvetica

Established in 1986 and originally named the London Institute, University of the Arts London (UAL), as it was renamed in 2004, is a network of six colleges — Camberwell College of Arts, Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion, and Wimbledon College of Art — devoted to art, design, fashion, and media offering courses at all levels from foundation and undergraduate to postgraduate and research. Spread throughout London, the six campuses serve over 20,000 students through approximately 1,200 staff. Last week, Creative Review was first to show a new identity for UAL designed by Pentagram partner Domenic Lippa, that led to a zesty range of mostly negative reader comments. Stating that UAL did not like its identity, specifically, its visual performance, Pentagram instituted an all-Helvetica approach. Kill me now.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Saint Paul University

Established in 1965, Saint Paul University (Université Saint-Paul in French) is a Catholic and bilingual (French/English) institution in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with less than 1,000 students. A new logo was introduced recently. Promo campaign video below (or after the jump).

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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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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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