Northern looks to spruce up logo, image

Montana State University-Northern is looking for a little consistency, at least visually.

As a part of the ongoing Chancellor's Forum series to share progress on various efforts, Monday's afternoon presentation centered around Jim Potter, Northern's public relations director, explaining the development of a revised website and the importance of locking down a specific look and feel for logos.

Chancellor James Limbaugh said his first experience with the current logo situation was a bit confusing, which "connotes instability.

"What I noticed when I got here was there is no consistency, " Limbaugh said. "I observed several instances in which Northern and our logo were use din different ways, different fonts, different colors. The message it sent me as a new person was 'Which is the real logo? ' and 'What is the real Northern? '"

Potter said he and the branding committee he heads will be locking in definitive style rules that will be registered with the Collegiate Licensing Company, which will handle who has the rights to print Northern gear — whoever pays the $300 annual licensing fee, according to Potter — and whose lawyers will handle violations.

Potter compared Northern's logo situation with iconic corporate logos like McDonald's, IBM and Apple. None of those companies, Potter explained, would accept the large number of logo and branding variations that exist at Northern, separate ones for almost every group on campus.

The final design policy is due at the end of June, so changes to clean up the logo situation will probably begin in July, though they will take time.

"We don't have the funds to go through and replace every sign, " Potter said. "It will take some time to phase in. "

Limbaugh said at the meeting it may take four or five years before the new look is set and fully implemented.