April 3, 2007
Online forum report
Logistics
- Thread opened March 22
- About 120 postings as of April 2
- Many anonymous postings
- Majority of messages posted by students and alumni
- Around 80 "unique" users, includes anonymous postings
- Thread to close April 6 when second phase of input begins
Original Questions
What attributes or concepts does Case Western Reserve University embody?
What words do you use to describe the university to relatives, peers or friends?
What images come to mind when you think of Case Western Reserve University?
Common Themes
- Custom
- Tradition
- History
- Legacy
- Official Seal
- Shield, Coat of Arms
- Lux (light)
- Sunrise
- Respect to alumni
- Heal the wounds
- Forge a closer relationship
- Memories
- Heritage
- Past good times
- Reputation
- Collegiate
- Recognition
- Highly regarded
- Prestige
- Quality
- "Firsts"
- Pedigree
- Top tier
- Success
- Excellence
- Academics
- Research
- Peer universities
- Unique and innovative
- Newness
- Nontraditional
- Interdisciplinary
- Cutting edge
- University Circle
- Cleveland
- Community involvement
A Sample of Additional Points
- Case needs a story not a logo; now story is redesign, that is problem not solution
- Reference to the Lipman Hearne survey: Naming is big issue, logo is a non-issue
- People will call the place whatever they want to call it, especially informally; policy should reflect actual behavior
- Design guidelines very successful with students, major overhaul would be disruptive; the new logo should be drop-in replacement for current graphic
- Money is an issue: sunk cost in current graphic, costs to transition to new look, while university is suffering budget deficits and apparent decreases in alumni donations
- Case Western Reserve University is cumbersome to say/read
- CWRU is awkward, Case Western is more marketable, but alumni use Reserve not Western
- Case is recognizable but also very common, an abbreviation for many other things
- Original call for community-wide competition for new logo, AIGA discourages design competitions, timeline to tight to accommodate
- Current naming used differs greatly: CWRUser accounts for alumni, Case used on alumni Web site, etc.