Vice President of Communications Bill Murphy faced a crowd of students for his second time this year. In his quest for UR’s new graphic identity, he has brought his slide presentation to all different facets of the UR community in order to gather feedback. When he last appeared before the student body, during the first Town Hall Meeting last semester, he presented 12 logo designs. Criticism from students was heavy, yet constructive, and Murphy and his team of designers went back to the drawing table.
The logo designs presented to students and faculty last night were all new, innovative and very viable options. Students were excited and positive about the logos and immediately latched onto two they particularly liked. The favorites were “dignified and serious,” a goal Murphy had stated earlier, and incorporated a slightly modernized version of the University’s official seal.
What is so positive about these Town Hall Meetings with Murphy is how excited he is about receiving constructive student input. He is extremely open and honest about the process of developing a graphic identity and the pros and cons of the individual logos. Students can truly feel like their opinions matter and are taken seriously.
It is estimated that by April, a decision will be reached and the new graphic identity of UR will begin to be implemented. However, the implementation stage is going to be very difficult. All of the various divisions of UR have vastly different graphic identities with numerous color schemes, logos and fonts. Further, these graphics are printed on everything, from sweatshirts to stationary to business cards to buildings. While the various UR departments cannot be expected to simply throw out all of their things with outdated logos, a deadline must be set for a time at which all of the old has to be traded out for a new. Only through such a deadline can it be ensured that UR properly follows Murphy’s vision for an all-encompassing graphic identity.
The work put into the new logo is clearly paying off. The options presented to students last night were right on par with what the University’s logo should accomplish. While implementation will pose a challenge, the process is off to a running start.
