UC s New Look Marks Its First Decade

Few people remember how chaotic any University of Cincinnati literature rack could appear 10 years ago.

In September 2001, the University of Cincinnati launched a new era in marketing with a branding initiative that employed cohesive language and a strong design identity to set a foundation for all university communications. In the decade since, UC has gained a national reputation as a branding leader.

The launch marked the culmination of two years of research, consultation, language drafting and design work. The brand included a new logo, but also detailed concepts to position the university in the higher education market, a set of identity guidelines and suggestions for how to describe the “UC experience.”

"Throughout the research that accompanied this process, our students, faculty, prospective students and alumni all agreed that UC stands for certain specific things," said Greg Vehr, vice president for governmental relations and university communications. "From all quarters we heard that UC is a place of opportunity with many pathways to success. We heard that UC is known for research, and for real-world experiences, especially with co-op as a big differentiator. We heard that UC is open to collaboration and to serve our community. The new brand signifies these attributes."

UC partnered with Cincinnati-based and internationally renowned brand identity consultant, LPK, for the project. LPK, chaired by UC alumnus Jerry Kathman, had tackled major branding assignments for Microsoft, IBM and Procter & Gamble before taking on the assignment for UC. Over two years, LPK coordinated months of detailed audience research among UC’s students, alumni, faculty and staff. LPK produced dozens of design concepts and refined them as the university’s audiences reacted, and then participated in creating a manual of Branding Standards to guide its print and Internet use.

“It was very helpful in the development of the branding system that a host of LPK employees who are UC – mostly DAAP – grads worked on the UC branding project because they were in tune with the university’s values” Vehr said. “Although we were LPK’s first academic client, the success of UC’s branding system has opened a new line of work for LPK in university branding.”

A university-wide Branding Committee meets monthly to monitor brand compliance, offer branding/design consultation, encourage deeper brand adoption and make decisions regarding brand policy and rule exceptions. All university communication must follow branding standards. For guidance and information, contact Angela Klocke.

“The Branding Committee fulfills an essential role in educating internal and external entities on effective use of the brand in accordance with UC Branding Standards,” Vehr said. “Additionally, it is at this table that important connections are made among branding, marketing and licensing.”

Since its introduction, the University of Cincinnati brand has undergone some incremental changes. Although it was created to accommodate UC’s diverse environment, the brand manual has evolved to incorporate a stronger connection to licensed goods, the Athletics programs, and UC Health. A number of alternate logos have been accepted for special situations.

Although introduced with some fanfare (and a new policy), UC rolled out the new brand gradually as supplies of stationery and publications were used up and needed to be reprinted.  It is still possible to find some of the old 1979-vintage “dueling horseshoes” logos on campus, if you know where to look.

Since the adoption of university-wide branding standards, UC has enjoyed some tangible results:

• The University of Cincinnati was honored by CASE (the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) with an international Grand Gold Award for branding excellence.
• A marketing campaign, built on the foundation provided by UC’s branding system, has contributed to significant enrollment growth, from 33,000 students in 2001 to more than 42,000 students this year.
• Additional national honors for advertising campaigns created to promote the UC brand including Circle of Excellence honors in 2005, and Higher Education Marketing Report honors in 2009 and 2010, among others.
• Cincinnati USA has become one of Ohio’s 12 Hubs for Innovation and Opportunity, with official designation as a Consumer Marketing Hub. Anchor companies in this effort include consumer marketing powerhouses Procter & Gamble, The Kroger Co. and Macy’s, supported by global brand-building organizations such as Landor, Bridge Worldwide and LPK; consumer market knowledge generators such as dunnhumbyUSA and AC Neilsen/Buzzmetrics; and the University of Cincinnati, home to one of the country’s top design programs and producer of many consumer marketing thought leaders.