Launching new branding for UMBC

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 10:35:49 -0500

Dear Colleagues,

After nearly two years of brand message and logo development with campus partners and generous input from students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I am excited to share that we are making final preparations to launch new branding for UMBC. We will introduce the new branding from the inside out, first informing campus colleagues about the new elements available for telling our stories before we go public on April 3.

During the next month, Office of Institutional Advancement staff and others will meet with campus leaders, departments, offices, and other groups to introduce the branding guide, including guidelines and downloadable graphics to empower our work and share our achievements more effectively.

If you would like to have someone come speak to your unit, please contact Miriam Tillman at mir@umbc.edu.

We will also share the same presentation at noontime brown-bag sessions open to all (options are March 8, 15, 22, and 29 in Commons 328 and March 25 in Commons 318).

You’ll also start to see the branding on campus and in advertising in the D.C. and Baltimore areas and in national media such as Inside Higher Education and The Chronicle of Higher Education. In addition, the UMBC Bookstore will carry items with our new logo beginning in April.

Starting Friday, March 4, you will be able to order updated letterhead and business cards in the same way you have done in the past (see our instructions for ordering stationery). Letterhead and other items will also be available for download online.

Thank you for your feedback throughout the process to help create branding tools that reflect the UMBC experience. Brand identity is more than a logo or marketing tool. It is who we are, what we say, and how we act. It is how we describe ourselves, and what we want others to think about us. Our culture, and the experiences others have with our campus, define our brand far more than any marketing campaign.

Thank you for all you do to make UMBC an exceptional community of inquiring minds.

Lisa Akchin, Associate Vice President for Engagement