Dylon Harrison
Interim Editor-in-Chief
ISU’s branding has gone through some major changes in the last few months. One of these changes was the redesign of ISU’s Bengal head logo.
This new logo featured a more modern design with less details, sharper edges, ears poised in attack position and an open, roaring mouth.
Recently, this new design has received some national attention, being named one of sportslogos.net’s “Top 10 Primary Logos of the Last Decade.”
This list is composed of logos from not only colleges, but professional sports organizations as well.
“It is extremely important to the university that our Bengals, both past and current, feel well represented by our logos,” said Director of Brand Management and Trademark Licensing, Ginny Lawrimore. “I think that’s why it works. It honors the previous Bengal head.”
The logo was designed in a collaboration between ISU and Boise-based marketing agency, Mitchell + Palmer.
The team from Mitchell +Palmer working on ISU’s rebranding was supervised by an ISU alumnus.
“It wasn’t like this was some outsiders that weren’t familiar with Idaho State University,” said Associate Vice President, Stuart Summers. “We actually had an alumnus on that team, somebody that knew our culture and what it means to be a Bengal.”
In addition to the national recognition, the new logo has also been well received in the local community.
As indicated by the sale of ISU gear at various retailers, people tended to prefer apparel with the new branding to the old nine times out of ten.
“The Bengal gear in the book store is selling out,” Lawrimore said. “We’re kind of having to reexamine the number of items that we purchase that feature the Bengal head, because they are selling out quickly.”
For each piece of ISU merchandise sold, regardless of if it is on campus or at another retailer, a portion of the sale is collected by the university for royalties. 12 percent of all sales go back to ISU students in the form of scholarships.
“Part of the beauty of this is,” Summers said. “As we’ve introduced this new logo, and we have this excitement and enthusiasm, it’s also creating an opportunity for us to raise additional funds to support our students.”
The rebranding efforts are still not finished. The plan is to unveil aspects of it over a 3 year period.
Part of the continued rebranding will feature a new welcome center.
“When [the welcome center] opens up in the next month, you’ll see it be a very branded pace with the new logos as well,” Summers said. “We really want to make that an inviting space for students, and part of that is that branding.”
For more information on ISU’s rebranding, you can visit isu.edu/brand.
