News Release
October 2002
(Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania) - Moravian College will publicly unveil its new graphic
identity today when the City of Bethlehem installs 26 pole banners around
the perimeter of the college and hangs a large banner across Main Street
(near Locust Street in Bethlehem). In addition, the College has launched
its completely redesigned website at www.moravian.edu that incorporates
the new graphic identity. The college is also phasing the new identity
into its print materials.
After a two-year process begun by Moravian’s Marketing
and Communications Council, the College has adopted a new graphic identity
program that includes an official logo, typeface, tagline, and usage
guidelines. Developed with input from the administration, faculty, students,
alumni, and trustees, the unified program was endorsed by the president’s
staff and greeted with enthusiasm by the Board of Trustees at its spring
meeting.
At the center of the new graphic identity is the logo
image, a stylized version of the Colonial Hall cupola, viewed on an
angle and enclosed within a circle. The College’s 1742 founding
date is underneath, emphasizing Moravian’s long commitment to
the values of liberal arts education. A typographic treatment in Goudy
replaces the more ornate Goudy Handtooled font that was previously used.
Other symbols were considered, including the Moravian
star, but focus groups representing the College’s varied constituencies
preferred a progressive, stylized reworking of the cupola of Colonial
Hall. It is Moravian’s most widely recognized image, crowning
a 1928 building that has become a community landmark. It is the administrative
hub of campus as well as the point of entry for incoming students. Colonial
Hall has special significance to Moravian alumni, and its renovation
in 2001 symbolizes the College’s ability to grow and change to
meet student needs.
"The graphic identity system allows for optional
use of the tagline 'A Small National Treasure,' introduced in undergraduate
admissions marketing materials in 1999 to good effect," said Michael
Wilson, director of public relations and marketing. “The tagline
reinforces Moravian’s special place in history and its position
as a national liberal arts college, as ranked by U.S. News & World
Report."
"College-wide adoption of the new graphic identity
is key to its effectiveness in communicating Moravian’s distinctive
brand," Wilson said. "The logotype and symbol creates a signature
look that provides instant recognition of Moravian as an established,
enduring institution, while conveying our special place in higher education."
Created in consultation with the North Charles Street
Design Organization of Baltimore, Md., which has designed many of the
College’s institutional materials, the new symbol had previously
been tested on development materials, where feedback from alumni and
donors has been very positive.
The new graphic identify has been integrated into Moravian’s
electronic communications. The College recently launched its redesigned
website (www.moravian.edu), comprised of over 2,700 web pages, 2,500
images, and 8,000 links. Moravian’s website employs a navigation
system that is a hybrid of informational links and portals for target
audiences, including prospective students, current students/faculty/staff,
parents and families, alumni and friends.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective
liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its
founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college.
Visit the Web site at www.moravian.edu.
