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Those that call Nicholls State University home are noticing big changes to the university’s branding, an effort aimed at generating more pride and support from students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Under the direction of Vice President of University Advancement Dr. Neal Weaver, who joined the university administration at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, the Office of University Marketing and Communications created new logos that provide more consistent branding across the campus.
“We’ve kind of had a bit of a reorganization at the campus,” Stephanie Verdin, director of university marketing and communications, said. “[Weaver] noticed some inconsistency in how the campus promoted itself. We had several different logos and the tagline we were using was ‘People Creating Possibilities.’ There didn’t seem to be a whole lot of traction behind the tag line.”
Weaver asked the office to create a new slogan that would create more cohesive branding and what was developed includes two logos, which highlight an overall sense of pride as well as one specifically for the athletics program’s goals for the future.
The One Pride, Colonel Pride logo is the university’s main logo for recruiting students, engaging alumni and donors and increasing an overall sense of unity , an aspect Verdin said was one of the top priorities for students who participated in focus groups with the office to provide feedback on what they would like to see in the new branding.
“A lot of the students said it was really the people that make this place special,” she explained. “The other theme was pride. They said they didn’t necessarily choose Nicholls because it was close to home or more affordable. They said, ‘We came on a tour here and we really felt at home. We could have a full college experience here and get more out of our education here than elsewhere.’…Immediately, we knew our campaign was going to focus on telling the stories of the people that make Nicholls a great place.”
The “one” in “colonel” is colored differently to further emphasize the togetherness and support the students appreciate about the Nicholls experience.
A RENEW logo is part of an athletics marketing campaign for the 2015-2016 season and is a way to connect the community with new head football Coach Tim Rebowe. The logo is designed specifically for sports and spirit usage.
“The community is very excited for Coach Rebowe’s inaugural season and this is something Coach Rebowe came up with as a play on his last name,” Verdin said.
The two logos, unveiled at Welcome Back Day on Aug. 19, use the university’s signature red and grey and have a similar feel, an important aspect in creating a consistent brand with great impact, Verdin said. Both also have variations that incorporate the iconic “N” with a sword through it as a means of relating to anyone affiliated with the university.
“Traditionally, the sword was for athletics use only,” she said. “When you see it you automatically think of Nicholls no matter when you came to school here or how you are affiliated with the school. We wanted that to be embraced by the whole university.”
The new branding is slowly being incorporated into university products, as well as promotional pieces throughout the campus and city of Thibodaux.
New campus light post banners went up last week and several more will grace the light posts along Canal Street, Tiger Drive and throughout Downtown Thibodaux at various times throughout the year. These banners were paid for with $10,000 the university’s Student Government Association committed for the effort. The logo also appears on newly-installed wall graphics in Polk Hall, and the campus bookstore, as well as other area retailers, are adding merchandise with the new logos to their stock.
“For many of us who were students here for many years or who have worked here, pride has been something many generations have been trying to get our hands around,” Verdin said. “Most universities of our size have that same issue. I feel like we are starting to see that momentum building. The community is really starting to get behind this.”
