Ohio University is moving to a one logo system starting this summer, embracing the arched Ohio as both the academic and athletic mark.
The current logos are being replaced, and the departments have three years to work out everything that needs updated.
Vice President of University Communications and Marketing Robin Oliver said the university was discussing the change before she joined the team in 2019. Changing the logo was not the main focus until the beginning of last fall semester.
“The basic reason (why the change is being made) is from a brand identity standpoint,” Oliver said. “Having one mark system helps you with brand recognition, and therefore, affinity over time in the marketplace is not going to solve any sort of problem overnight. It does help us to just build visibility for our institutional brand in all of the touch points.”
Adopting a single logo is not a move made only by the university. In the last two decades, other national universities have adopted the same system.
Currently, the OU uses four logos. Two are for academics, include the word “university" and use a sharp white font. One also shows the three original halls on campus, with “1804” written on it. The other two are sports logos, which use the old arched Ohio design and the Attack Cat design.
Oliver said the new design is “an evolution not a revolution” and was created with little financial cost. Typically, when an identity project is done outside consultation, it is because of the extra considerations involved.
“We made a potential decision not to do that because we do have a lot of financial priorities at the university,” Oliver said. “We really want to prioritize our primary mission, which is student education.”
The new logo is a version of the arched Ohio, with a more pronounced arch. The academic marks have a white typographic, and the primary one has the word “university” below it. The athletic logo features green text on a white background, outlined in white. The primary athletic mark still includes the Attack Cat.
Oliver said she saw a lot of chatter online, and the confusion behind the Attack Cat and Bobcat Paw Print alum affinity mark going away is untrue.
“People who are only seeing a part of the story have mixed reactions,” Oliver said. “I think it's really important to just underscore that this is not really a redesign project. It's a strategy to move to one logo system.”
Along with adopting a single logo, the university plans to introduce its own trademarked version of the acronym “OU” later this spring.
Oliver said it is not true that the University of Oklahoma owns the trademark. After the University of Oklahoma introduced its version of the interlocking “OU” logo, it reached out to the OU legal team for a similar design for merchandise.
“We're coming back around to the alumni who, for the last 25 years, ever since that conversation, have never stopped referring to Ohio University as ‘OU,’” Oliver said. “We really just want to put that back in the marketplace and give them what they're hoping for.”
OU mainly uses Ohio because, when the incident occurred, the administration wanted to lean into the phrase when referring to the institution. Oliver said OU has held the Ohio trademark since the 1960s.
Nicole Graziano, a freshman studying history, said she thinks the new logos are similar to the old ones but more appealing.
“I feel like this makes more sense because I've tried to make graphics and stuff before and having a distinction between an academic logo and a sports logo … it's like, more unified,” Graziano said. “It makes more sense.”
Jayden Soluna, a freshman studying psychology, said he is not a fan of the minimalist style. However, he thinks it looks good with the new mark.
“I would dislike it if it were just ‘OH’ or something, but I think the fact that it's just OHIO and it still has their colors and stuff, it's fine,” Soluna said.
Graziano said she does not think there is much of a difference between the primary and secondary marks.
Soluna said he believes the university should just do one logo for all and not divide it between academics and athletics.
When designing the new mark, various inputs from people within the university and from alumni focus groups with expertise in marketing, branding and design were considered.
Senior Director of Creative and Brand Aaron Harden said from the conversations, it was clear the arched Ohio had the most recognition of any logo, and OU is a common reference for the university.
“We want to provide as much flexibility as possible and embrace fan affinity while also working to achieve better continuity and broader logo recognition,” Harden said in a OHIO News article.
Oliver said people who want to use the new logo or provide feedback are welcome to reach out to UCM via their website.
