Going graphic

The new image of Utah Valley University has officially be unveiled.

Six months after the University "Image Task Force" began their mission to transform the identity of a school, that many still assume is a technical college, the committee has launched a campaign that has the potential to set up UVU as the other powerhouse university in the valley.

Co-chaired by Vale Hale, vice president for advancement & marketing, and Chris Taylor, associate vice president of college marketing & communications, the task force included alumni, faculty, students and trustees who met once a week over a six-month period in order to debate design challenges, color schemes and the overall aesthetics of the newly formed university.

On Friday, Nov. 30, the UVSC community gathered together in the student Center ballroom to participate in the official unveiling.

Having been approved only hours before by the UVSC board of trustees, the institutional logos, athletic logos, school seal, new Web page and fight song were presented by members of the image task force and Eric White, vice president of creative services at Rare Method, the advertising agency that developed the new UVU images.

Although there were a few malfunctions in the program, it was clear that audience members, which included prominent citizens of Utah County and even current and past state officials, were impressed by Rare Method’s conceptualization of Utah Valley University. As White noted, the pressure was on during the creation of UVU images since the institution only has "one chance to do it right."

The new institutional logo, which will be used on everything from apparel to letterheads, is "not too overly classical," said White. The U in the UVU logo was constructed to have the negative image of Utah state within it, a fact that was eagerly pointed out to the crowd.

While the color scheme has been adapted slightly, the overall identifiers have remained the same. Multiple greens have been employed, a somewhat lighter one for the institutional logo, a somewhat darker one for athletics, while the yellows have been replaced by complimenting hues of goldenrod. The typography, which was originally serif, is now san serif.

The new athletic logos were most widely accepted by the crowd. UVU’s mascot will remain the Wolverine, and while the previous logo contained only two dimensional elements, the new one is a revised three dimensional version.

The university seal displays the originality of the institutions modern architecture with Mt. Timpanogos as a backdrop.

Last to be unveiled was the look of the university’s Web page.

The goal of the new site, according to White, was to create a fun yet credible academic site that differentiated itself from other unimaginative institution’s pages. The main feature is a casual and youthful bulletin board that will be used to house information most pertinent to students.

The same color scheme brands the new Web page as well, and students will be able to login to UV Link from the home-page.

The event was also used to launch a six-month long campaign in cooperation with Ken Garff Automotive Group and Sprint Communications dubbed "UV Euphoria." The promotional event hopes to celebrate the last months of UVSC’s transition to UVU and encourage school spirit through a prize giveaway of five new cars from Ken Garff Auto, full-scholarships to UVU and numerous additional door-prizes.

By attending UV sporting events, attendees will receive codes that they can then text to in order to enter for the drawing.