To clarify...

Union is still the Orange and Black. I regret that there are several people who are under the impression that we are now the Orange and Purple. Not so. By introducing a new color palette (a topic I addressed in an earlier post), we are adding accent colors—colors chosen because they're relevant—for marketing materials. I explained the significance of the purple a couple of weeks ago, so I'll not revisit that. But please understand that by having a color palette, we're doing a good thing for Union. We're establishing a color group that allows us flexibility, while maintaining a consistent look and feel. If I hadn't mentioned it, you probably wouldn't have noticed it. But we're going the extra mile by being transparent with our stakeholders, explaining almost every detail of the new brand.

What's happening here is we're explaining our secondary colors. The primary colors haven't changed. Tonight, I've introduced another color to the mix. The green you see along the border of the blog title is also included in our design scheme. Does that mean our official schools colors are orange, purple and green? Absolutely not. Green is another accent color to be used in our secondary palette. It represents our commitment to the environment and the beautiful lawns and athletics fields we're so proud of. But we're not the Orange and Green any more than we are the Orange and Purple.

As much as I'd love to claim it, this isn't my idea. Most colleges and universities have secondary palettes in their brand manuals. To help you fully understand, check out the palettes of Texas A&M and Clemson University.

And in the future, if you're concerned about colors or any other aspect of the new brand, please don't be afraid to post questions or comments here. That's what this blog is for...at least for now. Eventually, the purpose will shift to how we should live the brand and sustain it.

In closing, I've included a screen shot of the last blog post so we can reflect on the design process. As I've explained before, this blog will shape up as I introduce you to elements of our visual identity that we've either determined or are contemplating so far. Your input matters. Never doubt that.

What's wrong with Museo?

There's really nothing wrong with Museo. In fact, it was named by My Fonts as one of the top 10 fonts for 2008. But this exposure led to greater exposure and eventually landed this font in the "do not use" lists of most respected designers. But we like it anyway. And we're going to use it anyway...but in a way it hasn't been used before. Here's why.

Museo (we use it in our blog title) is strong and assertive. It's modern and speaks to us in a way that screams, "We have convictions that cannot be deterred." So we're sticking with it even though its overexposure suggests we shouldn't.We've decided to move forward with this because we're committed to breaking the rules in a way that help us differentiate ourselves with our new brand. You may be wondering how we'll use an overused font to help us stand out. And that's a valid question. Here's your answer: We can redesign the font and use in a way that is unique to Union College and in ways that no other business or website has used it before. It will be our own and used very sparingly. We'll present options to you in hopes that you'll agree to help us figure out the best way to handle it. But that piece of this grand puzzle will come later. For now, we want you to fully understand why we're committed to this font.

Aside from its strength and authoritative integrity, Museo shares with Union an esprit de corps based on the letter "U." The designer, Jos Buivenga from the Netherlands, was inspired to create Museo because of a daydream where he envisioned the "U" with clean, crisp lines with bent endings to create the serifs (the "feet" at the ends of letters). His creation was an overnight success and got the attention of many graphic artists. It's used now largely by web designers but not in higher ed, at least not that we know of. So in choosing Museo to use in our marketing materials, we don't expect to present ourselves like anyone else in our industry, even if we don't modify the font. To separate us across all categories of business and institutions, our modified version of Museo should help us carve out a unique identity.

I have no idea at this point what our version of Museo will be. We might use thin and thick lines together; we might pair two of our brand colors in the text; we might alter the shape of the serifs. But whatever we choose, we want you to be involved. When options are available, they'll be presented here, and we hope you will help us figure it out.

On a side note, I'd like to clarify that Museo has been chosen as a foundational font to illustrate our marketing message—not our logo. The logo is a separate piece that will have a much longer shelf life than our marketing plan. Generally, a logo and tagline serve as the inspiration for a brand message, and the longevity of the use is long-term. The marketing message that articulates the brand is meant to serve for about five years, give or take. So Museo, in whatever form we use it, will help us tell people that Union is stable and confident by broadcasting messages and pointing to the logo. In a few years, we'll have another font at the helm.

Like it? Tell us what you think. Or if you'd rather respond offline, feel free to shoot me an email: mreid@unionky.edu.

—Missy Reid '91
Union College Director of Communications