Logo Research and Benchmarking
Process Overview
Members of the UMC Creative Services team researched dozens of universities, including research universities, public and private universities, and Case Western Reserve University peer institutions. Universities post their visual identity or brand guidelines online, which in most cases, outline in great detail all regulations associated with acceptable logo use in print and electronic materials. Additionally we researched design concepts beyond the academic setting including logos created for corporate and nonprofit identities along with general trends in graphic design.
The first step in any design process is research, done as a source of inspiration or in an effort to solve specific design challenges. In the case of redesigning a logo for the university, we chose to expand that general scope of research to also:
- discover the breadth of academic logos throughout the country and how they were applied throughout each institution
- benchmark Case's specific usage challenges with similar needs of other academic institutions and apply solutions to initial designs (i.e.: schools with longer names, stratification solutions, seal usage)
- update committee and university community on current trends in design
- distinguish between nonprofit and corporate logos to ensure future design symbolizes the appropriate message for an academic institution
- identify the design characteristics of each type of logo offered in a university's visual identity system and how these characteristics can be altered to meet the needs of different university constituencies
Explanation of Terms
Text treatment—the use of designed text that does not include a symbol.
Stratification—the alteration or positioning of the logo when applied to design treatments that include school or center names, athletics, merchandising, banners, and signage. This term also refers to adapting the logo based upon an audience.
Research
University logos vary greatly, but the goal of retaining the integrity of a logo or compliance with style guidelines in all applications seems to be a challenge common to most universities researched. In an effort to firmly establish the Case brand, the current Case Western Reserve University logo allowed for few if any alterations and visually took prominence over any other university center, department, or school identity. Few of the schools we researched took that approach.
This report is a synopsis of the dozens of universities researched, using ten schools to represent the variations that exist in the visual identity guidelines of schools throughout the country. We begin with examples of the most stringent identity systems and end with logo systems whose guidelines offer more options than requirements.
Comparison of Visual Identity Guidelines
Cornell University's logo and identity guidelines are reminiscent of the current Case logo in its construction and narrowly defined identity guidelines. Cornell's logo consists of the university emblem and the logotype of the university's name. The emblem symbolizes Cornell's status as New York's land grant university and was developed in the early 20th century. When adding a school name to the university logo, the logotype is raised slightly and the school, department, or center name is added below the university name. School names are given the same font size and weight as the university name with a look that is consistently uniform for each school and center. The only variation applies to communications between units of the university and internal audiences, Cornell's style guidelines state that in these instances their logo requirements can be relaxed.
Similar to Cornell University, Penn State's logo always appears intact, with the mark and logotype never appearing separately. Penn is one of the few schools we found that actually requires the word university never appear as part of the logo. The university does offer one variation on the logo, which is the design for the university's alumni association. Editorial style requires that all publications originating from the university use the name Penn State, rather than the full name of the university, which is The Pennsylvania State University. The full name is reserved for formal documents and for parents making out the tuition check.
The logo of Washington University in St. Louis illustrates the design challenge of a long university name as part of a very constrictive visual identity system. Both the emblem and logotype must always remain intact, along with the full name of the university. The preferred treatment is a single-lined logo, but the school's identity guidelines offer several variations that include changes in font size and variety in emblem placement. Additionally, the university's editorial style guidelines prohibit the use of the term Wash U.
Certain universities, like the University of Washington, also require that the logo remain intact, but offer flexibility. The symbol and logotype of the University of Washington cannot be separated for any application. If school and center names are included in the logo, those names are stacked above the logotype in a required font style. Unlike Cornell, however, the university allows flexibility when it comes to individual school identity. University of Washington's guidelines defer to schools that have created their own identity, as in the University of Washington Business School and School of Law. In such cases the logo isn't present, but the name of the university is mentioned. Additionally, the university discourages the shorthand, UW, but makes exceptions for units that have established UW in their branding prior to the introduction of the current logo.
Emory University represents several universities that successfully maintain a visual identity while offering their constituencies alternatives to the university's established logo. Emory style guidelines include a suite of five logo designs, similar in design to their preferred logo, that vary slightly in mark and logotype placement. Three designs are used for internal audiences and don't include the word university. When communicating with audiences external to the university, Emory offers two designs that include the word university. Additionally, the symbol does not need to appear with the logotype. For each version of the logo there are strict requirements regarding font styles.
A common approach for most universities, primarily those that have great name recognition, is to offer a suite of logos that cater to almost every application. Each logo remains intact with no variation, so the flexibility is built into the suite rather than in specific alterations of one logo. Stanford University's visual identity includes four emblems with the preferred logo being the Stanford University Signature, which uses the university's seal as the emblem. Their guidelines suggest two versions of a block 's' for informal applications and a logotype without the seal.
The Ohio State University identity guidelines offer five sets of logos, with a total of 12 logo designs. These sets include the university logo, wordmarks, athletic logos, alumni association logo, medical center logo, and commercial logos. Each logo has specific unalterable guidelines.
The university logo, which consists of the name of the university in a block of either red or black, must appear on all printed or electronic materials and cannot appear smaller than any other logo used.
Several universities take a simpler approach to branding by eliminating the mark entirely from their logo. The Johns Hopkins University logo consists of text treatment without any graphic element. The names of schools, departments, offices, and centers can be added to the logo or can replace the word university.
Wake Forest University's logo is also a version of text treatment only, but it does include very simple graphic elements. Their identity guidelines are very strict, allowing alterations only in designated colors without separating elements of the logo in any way.
Duke University seems to have taken one of the most unusual approaches to visual identity policing. The university confesses that the lack of strong branding standards for more than a decade limit their ability to institute a tightly defined logo. As stated in their guidelines "Duke can't swoop in from above and order sweeping change after a period of relative silence. If Duke's recommendations are too strict, they simply won't be adopted by the campus community."
The result is a wide variety of logos and treatments under the umbrella of the Duke visual identity. Several schools within the university have their own logo treatment that incorporates the name of the university. The university logotype can appear on its own, with or without the emblem, in any variation of two font families, as long as both fonts are used in the logo.
Universal Identity Guideline Issues
University Seals
Almost across the board with each university we researched, university seals are a closely controlled graphic element in visual identity guidelines. Rarely are seals considered logos or even included in the institution's logo. In general university seals are reserved for official university documents or for very formal applications. Many universities require written permission from their president's office before allowing placement of the seal in printed or electronic materials.
Center and Program Logos
Most schools defer to an established identity for centers or programs within the university. Even for schools with the most stringent guidelines, logos for centers are exempted from using the university logo as part of their identity. Several universities require that the university logo appear on the same page as the center or department logo, although many others just require that the university logo appear somewhere on the electronic page or printed piece.
Compliance Issues
No university seems to have complete control over how their logos are used. A range of alternatives in visual identity guidelines might lessen the risk that one university group will design outside those guidelines. Schools with national name recognition have more flexibility to deviate from a constrictive system that is based on one institutional logo; that recognition affords those universities the latitude to offer alternatives.
Alternatives don't always come in the form of one logo for each purpose. Rather than offering different logos for each constituency, institutions such as Harvard and Emory allow groups the flexibility to alter the font size and placement of the logo's emblem—which results in a consistent look and a greater sense of compliance even when a school, center, or program name takes visual prominence over the name of the university.
Trends
Corporate vs. Nonprofit Logo
In general, corporate and nonprofit logos differ greatly in their visual approach to recognition. Nonprofit logos communicate quickly and clearly by symbolizing an organization's mission or purpose. Quite literally, nonprofit logos visually describe the organization; a history museum logo includes a dinosaur as its mark, or a university logo uses an outline of a landmark library or academic shield as logo marks.
A nonprofit logo will provide an immediate emotional connection either through an image commonly associated with the institution or an image that evokes a sense of the institution's past. These logos tend to be less harsh and edgy than corporate logos.
Corporate logos are designed for instant recognition of an image with abstract marks that symbolize energy, innovation, and confidence. Unlike universities whose visual identity is based on historic symbols or colors, corporate logos will display the latest in design techniques and color trends.
General Design Trends
Transparency, motion, and color drive the latest trends in logo design. Blending and warping shapes evoke a sense of motion, while color overlays and overlapping letters provide a sense of transparency in design. Punctuation as a graphic element has also become a popular treatment in logo design. Vivid colors are appearing in many corporate logos, in sharp contrast to the two-color palettes that defined logos in the past.