An administrative committee has been established for the purpose of creating a new Geneseo logo to replace the current blue signature-underlining wave. Since its adoption in the ‘80s, several school offices have embraced variations of the wave logo, namely the Office of Admissions, which has used the more angular alternative with the macron over the letter "E."
"Our aim is to have one universal brand or identity that is applied across all sectors of our campus," said Associate Vice President for Communication Tony Hoppa. "Consistency is the key word."
"We are attempting to find a logo that reflects what we have said about ourselves and what our aspirations are as a community," said Bill Caren, associate vice president of enrollment services.
The administrative committee spearheading this effort consists of two subcommittees, the first of which is a small decision-making board of eight members including Hoppa and Caren. A larger advisory group incorporates representatives from various constituencies that are directly tied to the college.
The committee has hired Generation, a reputable advertising agency from New York City, to help collect and format the necessary material to make an informed decision.
"We received a number of proposals and we evaluated them based off of our needs and their qualifications; Generation was the best fit," Hoppa said.
Generation has conducted on-sight interviews and gathered statistics and background information in the area of logo marketing on campus and amongst competing universities. The agency will compile the information, share their findings and make recommendations over the next few months.
"Sometimes the way you present yourself graphically determines the way you position yourself in people's minds," Caren said. "We want the people to think about us when they think about the amazing schools we compete against. We want to appear as they do."
A number of other schools in the State University of New York system, including Brockport, Cortland, New Paltz and Oswego, have recently or are currently undergoing similar processes of rethinking their logos.
The student body has responded to this effort with mixed reviews.
"Personally, I know a lot of academic departments are having issues with being understaffed and underfunded," sophomore Ashley Lewis stated. "I think putting the money used for this project toward the departments would be a better use of resources."
"I think this is a good use of resources," freshman Max Wycisk said. "There is a business aspect to running a university. We need to be able to attract students."
"We want a mark that will stand the test of time. It has to capture the essence of Geneseo as it is today and as we expect it to be in the future," Hoppa said.
The release of the new logo is expected sometime in February 2012.