Stranger Danger: The Challenges of Changing an Academic Visual Identity

Universities use visual identities to differentiate themselves, build relationships, create credibility, and bring order to chaotic messaging from their varied divisions. Through repeated exposure and positive experience, visual identities also function as a modern form of heraldry, becoming part of the core identity of employees, students, and alumni. This added component of identification raises the stakes when a university updates or changes the visual identity because users and fans may feel that a new logo no longer represents them. This presentation describes three case studies of academic visual identity change that met with resistance from stakeholders. In each case, the rollout was halted. The purpose of this study is to determine what caused the backlash and what we can we learn from their experiences to help smooth the way for others