UH officials make
another go at a logo
University of Hawaii officials are returning to the drawing board for a new logo, a year after two designs by a mainland firm were rebuffed by the public and UH President Evan Dobelle.
A request for qualifications is expected to go out early next month seeking graphic designers interested in coming up with a new UH systemwide logo.
An evaluation panel of 15 people, made up of faculty, staff, business representatives and students, will select three design firms that will be paid $5,000 each and will have until July to come up with one or two designs.
The final designs will be evaluated, and one firm will be paid an additional $5,000 to refine the design before it is presented to the public and the Board of Regents in September.
A regents' subcommittee presented its report on the logo process at a meeting yesterday.
Regent Kitty Lagareta explained that the subcommittee came up with the new process after working with local designers and the UH administration.
Phil Kinnicutt, UH director of marketing and brand management, said the new logo "will reflect the importance of the university and reflect Hawaii."
The right logo can raise awareness of the university, attract students and build community pride in the university, he said.
He used the example of the Nike swoosh. "Think of what that means to Nike," he said.
Dobelle noted that it is "a very complicated challenge to come up with a logo." He said the right logo could generate millions of dollars in merchandising sales.
The competition will be open to both local and mainland firms. However, part of the selection criteria will be knowledge of Hawaii and the UH system. The firms will also be evaluated on overall experience and on samples of their work.
During the initial selection process, the evaluation panel will not be looking at proposed logo designs.
The final design will be judged on "the perceived effectiveness of the design in communicating in a wide variety of media the university's brand promise as described in the Brand Strategy Group report" and "the appropriateness of the design in the context of Hawaii's historical and cultural background," according to the preliminary request for qualifications.
The new logo will not replace the UH athletic department's H design, nor will it replace the UH seal, which will still be on diplomas, Kinnicutt said.
Last year, the "Wave" and "Spectrum" logo designs proposed by the Maryland firm of Robert Rytter & Associates were rejected by Dobelle after a public outcry against them. Rytter was paid $73,637 of its $83,000 contract.
Lagareta said the Rytter contract also called for the firm to adapt the logo for business cards, stationery and other uses.
Carolyn Tanaka, UH vice president for external affairs, said, if possible, the university would try to do that part of the job in house to save money.
UH brand promise
The final design of a new UH logo will be judged in part on how well it conveys the brand promise. The brand promise was developed with the help of Kailua-based consultants the Brand Strategy Group during a series of open meetings and interviews with key administrators, faculty and student groups. It reads:"We provide a balance of educational excellence and real-world experience in a unique environment that is Hawaii.
"Inspired by our geographic location, Hawaii's astounding beauty and the rich traditions of our host culture, the University of Hawaii system, through our 10 campuses, is a model of interdependence.
"We are uniquely positioned to offer diverse, transformational knowledge, opportunity and discovery.
"We are indebted to those who have gone before us, and we recognize our obligation to leave our island home and the world better than we found it."