Southeast Missouri State University will roll out it’s new logo and marketing materials over the next few months. The branding initiative was created by Ologie and was approved by the Board of Regents on February twenty-eighth.
The university hired Ologie, a branding and marketing firm based in Columbus, Ohio, last spring as part of a rebranding initiative costing 193 thousand dollars. The firm has been working with the university’s marketing team since then to research and design for Southeast, according to executive director of University Communications and Marketing Jeff Harmon.
Ologie presented six preliminary logos, as well as the brand messaging, at the Board of Regents meeting in December. The logos all used black and red text, along with various renderings of the academic dome and Southeast’s founding year, 1873.
“In November, we started with about 60 versions and lots of people at the institution were involved in sort of trying to narrow that down. And then at the board meeting in December, the feedback was really clear that we needed to try to maintain as much of the uniqueness of the existing dome, or at least our real dome, in a more modern and simple easy-to-use design. I think we gave Ologie a really clear direction there and they were able to get there. It took a couple more revisions, but we were able to finally get to something that was just simple enough for the designers, yet could be applied in sort of an artsy way.”
One of the major complaints about the old logo was that due to it’s boxed design, it didn’t translate well when shrunken and was inflexible. Ologie has created various versions of the new logo so it can be black and white, all color, or used on black backgrounds. Ologie also created versions with the dome logo in various positions in relations to the text.
The branding message, which Harmon says didn’t change much from the December meeting, focuses on Southeast’s “will to do.” The phrase came from Ologie’s focus groups in Cape Girardeau, as well as with alumni and potential employers in St. Louis.
“They had essentially uncovered a really consistent theme that not only does the institution, staff, faculty and everyone involved in the community sort of display’s this will to do, but it’s our students that display that even more. And the employers that have employed our graduates have said that over and over. That our graduates seem to have a much better grasp and they are much more workforce ready, understand the responsibilities of the job and are more prepared to launch a career.”
The positioning statement, or the summary of the new message, talks about Southeast putting in the work to create cutting-edge programs and build a cultural center. It talks about Southeast having the will to earn praise by taking action.
Harmon says that they will plan ads and other materials on that sentiment. For example, a poster sent out to high schools about Southeast’s cybersecurity program might have the messaging ‘Do you have the will to stop the next generation of cyber criminals.’
Ologie created a messaging map to help Southeast implement the new branding throughout all mediums, including print, TV, radio and Web ads.
“Whatever it is and whatever the project may be, we use the messaging map centered around ‘the will to do’ and we see a way to use that in every instance. We know that it won’t be perfect every time, but we have a real consistent methodology of applying that branding.“
Harmon adds that it will be applied across academic majors, as well as be used to promote athletic teams on campus.
The new branding not only will change the logo, and the messaging, but also the fonts and colors as well. Harmon says that while the primary colors are still red and black, the new style guide consisted of more colors including blues and greens to add variety. He say the new look is bold, while still down to earth.
“When we have new designers come on board, they can refer to the guide and be able to sort of understand how to apply messaging, the overall look and feel and the conceptual brand,” Harmon said.
Ologie will visit campus April 2 to host brand ambassador training. Harmon says that about 100 Southeast employees will attend the day-long training to learn about the new message and how to implement it campus wide.
“Once we put this consistent new messaging out in our media, in our advertising and just in all our admissions materials, I think you are going to see us really be thought of a little bit differently,” Harmon said. “The brand’s going to be elevated, not just in visibility but in quality.”
On April 3, Ologie will present the new promotional material at the Cape Girardeau Chamber's First Friday Coffee, and the new branding will be installed on campus and on the Southeast website in April. The rebranding initiative began last spring.