 | Useful Information This design is part of a larger UE concepting effort for UP3 |
This is a preview of a possible logo direction for UP3. I thought Jason Shao's suggestion for a new logo was intriguing and I wanted to chime in with my 2 cents.
While I agree that it may be time to consider updating the logo (especially with UP3 looming on the horizon), I'm not sure if the update should be a complete departure from the existing design. I mean, for starters, it's been in front of the public for long enough now that it probably has some brand equity... or association, and I'm not aware of any compelling reasons to disturb that. Additionally, I think the current logo communicates some fairly relevant messages. For example, the door element, while maybe a bit too literal, does get the point across. Also, I think the colors are strong. I guess they're a little on the "campy" side... but they remind me of college colors which seems appropriate.
I would however suggest that a few small tweaks are in order - something that freshens up the typeface and symbol so that the overall style is a bit more modern.
Here's what I have in mind:
 |
Current logo |
 |
Direction 1 (Logo) This is the basic logo treatment. I added the term "powered by JASIG" in the tag line rather than just "by JASIG" - I expect this will be something we'll want to change. Mainly this was a visual decision more than anything else that stemmed from wanting to fill the entire length of the white-space that extends from the descended of the "P" in order to achieve a bit more balance. Otherwise, as you can see, the new logo is similar to the current logo but with a new type treatment and a modernized portal / door symbol. |
 |
Direction 1 (Business Card) Here's a possible business card layout for anyone who might need it. If you guys like this design and want a print-ready file that you can take to the printer, let me know and I'll post a template for you. |
Comments (1)
Aug 14, 2006
Jason Shao says:
If our premise is that uPortal is a portal "by highereducation for highereducati...If our premise is that uPortal is a portal "by higher-education for higher-education" than I think changing the logo and branding is a good time to tie into that mission. Portal platforms are a lot more prevalent and mature then they were at the launch of the project, and I think one of our goals is to distinguish ourself from other efforts. To that end, I think we want to go less abstract, not more.
A side note... "powered by JA-SIG" seems to imply to me that JA-SIG is a technology. Perhaps "a JA-SIG project" or something more along those lines – though really, I'm not convinced we need the tagline in the logo.