FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Old Main is getting a makeover – at least in terms of how it represents the university in graphic form to global audiences.

A new University of Arkansas logo was unveiled Tuesday, March 3, by the office of university relations, which has led a nine-month redesign effort. The logo serves as the graphic identity for the university, and for the past 20 years has consisted of an image of the north tower of Old Main with the university’s name inscribed upon it.

The new mark, which officially will be adopted by the university on July 1, 2009, continues use of the familiar north tower, but separates out the words “University of Arkansas” and places more emphasis on “Arkansas,” along with other elements that refer to university traditions.

“When the current logo was created in the late 1980s, video applications were limited and the Internet wasn't even a remote consideration,” said Tysen Kendig, associate vice chancellor for university relations. “The horizontal line treatment of the old logo, which worked in some print applications, was problematic with some electronic media. Our logo had ceased to be functional and no longer represented us as the nationally competitive flagship university we’ve become.”

In an effort to be sustainable and cost-efficient, the time leading up to official adoption will be used to phase-out existing materials bearing the old logo, including letterhead, business cards, publications and other printed documents.

The new logo will not replace the university seal, which is used on official documents such as diplomas, or the Razorback, the official spirit logo intended exclusively for athletic purposes.

Chancellor G. David Gearhart asked university relations to manage the design change in-house, noting that estimates from outside firms ran as high as $200,000 with no guarantee that the campus community’s opinions would be fully considered.

“Changing a logo is an enormous undertaking,” said Roy Cordell, director of visual and creative services for university relations, whose team led the redesign process. “People have an emotional tie to the university’s logo, so we took great care to make sure we considered as many viewpoints as possible in creating the new look.”

The new design connects to other as well as the north tower. The type style used for the words “University of Arkansas” reflects the historic type used on Senior Walk, before the names were engraved by machine. The ribbon beneath the tower highlights the university’s founding date, something the previous logo did as well. The style of the ribbon and the shape of the crest behind the tower represent two parts of the university’s official seal, whichwas hand-drawn by Zelma Rothrock and adopted by the board of trustees in 1923.

The design process involved months of extensive research, with the design team developing a number of alternate treatments.

“A logo should follow solid design principles, be functional, represent the institution, use effective symbolism and look professional,” Cordell said. “How a logo looks, whether people like or don’t like it, is only part of the equation.”

Still, individual opinions were an important part of the process. Focus groups representing all segments of the campus community, as well as alumni, got to see and respond to the various designs.

“It’s fair to say there were a number of concepts that didn’t make the final cut, but that’s part of the design process,” Cordell said. “Luckily, people weren’t shy about giving their unvarnished opinions, which ultimately helped us get to the logo we will start using soon.”

By the time the process was complete, the new logo received strong endorsement from campus leaders, faculty, staff, students and alumni.

“The quality of the University of Arkansas has grown exponentially in the last 20 years, but our symbol had not reflected that positive change,” said Kendig. “The new symbol represents a new day for the university, yet it remains grounded in tradition. It invokes the loftiest ideals of higher education while acknowledging the rich heritage of our university.”