March 28, 2024

The Power of Logos

Swooshes. Mouse ears. Golden arches.

From just those mentions, certain logos come to mind – right? Some famous companies’ logos carry so much value and recognition that they don’t even have to spell out their names. On the surface, logos may seem like simple art work, but there is MUCH more behind logos than meets the eye.

UMW Primary LogoLet’s look at our own logo for the University of Mary Washington, in existence for little more than a decade. Those iconic columns, teamed with our distinctive tag line, represent our reputation, and the logo’s constant and consistent use – on t-shirts, in publications, within emails, on the web, etc. –broadens our visibility and boosts recognition of our institution.

We have a lot of logos at UMW. Some are recognized as official and are illustrated in our Brand Standards and Visual Identity Toolkit. Others are not. These tend to dilute our visibility and reputation. The University of Mary Washington Committee on Visual Identity Standards has been has been tasked with reviewing these “non-official” logos as part of its ongoing charge to help enforce our graphic standards and enhance the institution’s name recognition.

The committee will be reviewing logos of various entities, organizations, and departments throughout our campuses and will evaluate logos according to guidelines set forth in the Brand Standards.

If you have questions about the process or a logo you are currently using, please contact committee chair AJ Newell at anewell@umw.edu.