It was a lot to ask of one woman, even a goddess.
Minerva, the Greek goddess of wisdom who since 1795 has
shouldered the brunt of the College's graphic identity, is finally getting some
help: a new logo that features an image of the centerpiece Nott Memorial.
“The new logo is a distinctive branding of the College's most
recognizable symbol,” said Dan Lundquist, vice
president for admissions and financial aid, during the first of a series of
meetings this week to unveil and discuss the logo with members of the College
community.
“Union has never had a logo, per se,”
said Lundquist, “and we wanted to move toward a distinctive and coherent look
in our presentation. The venerable college seal is an important part of
the school's heritage but it is not suitable for a range of print and
internet-based applications.
“The new graphic identity system built around this logo has
been designed to reflect the mission and vision of the College,” he said. “Its
distinctive treatment of the Nott Memorial acknowledges our proud history of
achievement while conveying a sense of progress and innovation.”
The graphic was the result of months of work by a campus committee
that worked with a graphic design firm, GCF of Baltimore,
which assisted in a one-year re-do of the College's admissions publications and
web site. A number of alumni, faculty, students, and staff were interviewed as
the project moved from concept to implementation. “No college has the great
good fortune to have such an outstanding – and unique – opportunity for a
logo-image,” said Brenda Foster of GCF. “The Nott Memorial is the
emotional and architectural center of Union's campus –
and many peoples' experience of the College – and it was 'the natural' for a
logo.”
“Nowadays, images of the Nott effectively say 'Union
College,' without the words,” said
Lundquist. “Guided by our traditions, we wanted to find a crisp rendering
of that image that would be effective in a wide variety of applications and say
'Union College.'”
One of the committee's main goals was to develop a design
that conveys the College's distinctive centerpiece in a clean, elegant graphic
that would be easy to reproduce, said Tom Smith,
the College's web site director.
The committee considered a number of images ranging from
stark negative renderings of the Nott to highly detailed ones that resembled
woodcuts. Lundquist related that one committee member, Trustee Mark Walsh '76,
observed that U.S.
currency was designed with great detail to discourage counterfeits. Similarly,
a highly detailed logo would be difficult to reproduce in a variety of media –
print and electronic.
The new image will be phased in over time, so offices and
programs need not waste stationery, for example. “We are not saying that by noon tomorrow everyone must use the new logo,”
said Smith. “This will be rolled out over time and you will be seeing it more
and more.”
The seal of Minerva will continue to be used for official
College documents – like diplomas, transcripts and program covers. The adoption
of the Minerva seal at the College's founding was a radical innovation in that
it incorporated a French motto: “Sous le
lois de Minerve nous devenons tous fréres” (“We all become brothers under
the laws of Minerva”).
The launch of the new logo is accompanied by a “Graphic
Identity Style Guide” that explains the various uses. The style guide and
various versions of the logo and typography are available at the following web
site: http://www.union.edu/logo/