New Logo on Light Post Banners outside of the Yellowjacket Union Photo by Ella Hill | Promethean Media
Alicia Zoltowski
azoltows@uwsuper.edu
A new logo storms the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Superior marking a new era. The Director of Marketing and Communications, Sarah Libbon gave a little insight into the process of the logo change.
The University of Wisconsin Superior new Logo Contributed by University of Wisconsin Superior Marketing & Communication Department
The marketing/communications team focuses on upholding a positive image for our campus and putting a lot of effort into brand making and ensuring that certain guidelines are being kept. The goal of this department is to catch the eyes of potential students and help build enrollment.
The initial idea of a rebranding has been talked about for “quite a long time” by marketing/communications and campus leadership. The breaking point was when faculty staff and students started outwardly feeling like the logo was no longer a representation of what the campus is. Libbon said the old logo looked “tired [and] very 1990s.”
To understand if this was a shared feeling on campus, the marketing/communications team sent out a survey to selected UWS staff and students. They tried to get an accurate set of feedback to make sure this change was a necessary thing to do. 98% of surveyors agreed it was time to change, creating a momentous moment.
To get the ball rolling, Libbon and her team had to create a proposal and an outline of what they were trying to do and their goals for the new logo. This proposal was presented to the UWS Chancellor, Dr. Renée Wachter, and was really a shot in the dark if this idea would be greenlit.
The chancellor’s office was excited and ready for this change and wanted it to be sooner rather than later. The next step was to find help externally from the campus due to the uniqueness of the situation and to ensure there was an outside eye.
Libbon and her team decided KW2, a digital and advertising agency in Madison, Wis, was the best fit for what they were looking for. The agency also helped with Superior’s Technical College “Northwoods.” KW2 initially gave three different logos to choose from, but none of them captured the innovation and progression of UWS. KW2 was more than happy to create a logo that resonated with the campus and with some guidance from Libbon our new logo came to be.
Like any rough draft, you have to adjust to get the results you want. To ensure that this logo was the right one, Libbon gathered an estimate of 1,000 people including staff, students, community members, and external marketing/communications teams.
Libbon hopes this logo will “breathe new life and energy in our university [and] really elevate that level of pride.” She also hopes this rebranding will no longer keep our campus as a “hidden gem” and become “top of minds” when it comes to applying.
New University of Wisconsin Superior (UWS) Billboard with New Slogan Contributed by UWS Marketing and Communication Department
After the official change of the UWS logo, the first phase the marketing/communications team took was to implement the new logo everywhere on/off campus.
Off campus, the team is focusing on a rebranding campaign for UWS ads. The slogan the team decided to represent the campus the best was “arrive with grit, leave with greatness,” this slogan is meant for practical students looking for a practical education but leaving UWS with a bright future.
This campaign is going to feature student Janessa Wilt, a business major that transferred from UMD and had an excellent experience. Wilt’s “grit” is that she worked a full-time job while being a full-time student. The marketing/communications team is doing everything to make sure this brand change is something that will reflect what it means to be a Yellowjacket.
