Ohhhh UB

A branding campaign is an interesting thing. It's not Coca Cola we're selling, or Hershey's bars here at UB, we're selling an education and hopefully it's the right one for all of us. When looking at schools I have to admit, I didn't just pull up the cover pages of various school websites and say to myself, "MMMmmmmmm, Harvard's logo is so old and tired, let me look at RISD's yeah no, that won't do either." Initially I looked at the program, what would I be doing? and who would be teaching me? Then, hey can I afford this education, that now is necessary in today's job market. An advanced degree is a MUST. Incurring more debt is a MUST.
UB's logo while more energetic is also, I feel, going to go out of style very quickly. So kiss that $300,000 goodbye because in ten years you'll be doing it again and then you'll really confuse everyone.
I did like the old logo, it was standard and classic which I realize is not what the university is going for especially with the introduction of the four year undergraduate programs. But does this new logo capture that idea? I think it's interesting that the blue they chose is a kind of navy blue suit, blue. Borrrrrring! All that's missing are the pinstripes! The green though gets lost. They do compliment one another but I think its at the wrong volume. Not enough punch. It's an exchange- one kind of bland for another kind of bland, just with more energy???? I guess???
Also since the launch of this new logo I have seen it reproduced in several different colors, I 've seen it in grayscale, with orange and I swear I even saw it in fuscia although I can't remember where and I have no proof. But Let's not do what we did before and have six official school colors representing various programs and completely throw everyone for a loop.
How about we spend that money on building a website that works. The pull down menus are frightening, I never get to the same place twice and don't get me started on the color pallettes that change from page to page. I find myself wondering if I'm even visiting the same website from link to link. Fix the website for prospective students. It is the first impression and it shouldn't be confusing.