Manchester University Logo Receives a Fresh Look
Alyx Buffenbarger
Manchester University is updating its old logo into a fresh, simplified one. The marketing team decided to follow the current trends and create a minimalistic look.
The new logo employs the beloved font Comic Sans. It boasts a simple gold circle, in Manchester’s signature golden color, with a wavy M just off center.
The design team is eager to hear student and alumni opinions. Charlotte Wilson, a track athlete at Manchester, got a first look at the new logo to give feedback before the its official release. “I think it’s really like a step forward in progression for us,” she said. “It’s a statement piece for the school to intimidate the others, to show we are well prepared, to show we are not perfect.”
How does Wilson think the logo will look on athletic uniforms and other spirit wear? “It shows that we are well rounded,” she said, “I like the freshness of it.” Wilson is anxious to get her hands on a new, improved outfit with the updated logo. “I would be proud to wear that as an athlete here,” she stated.
Others feel the same way. “I am very excited to see this logo on the merch,” said Adrian Allen, Garver RA and authority on Schwalm Hall ghosts. “I feel like the new logo really speaks to Manchester as a whole.” Allen expressed great pride in the new logo and spoke highly of the new design.
So far, students have loved the unique design and the idea that the logo shines a light on imperfection—on being a bit off center. “People could get too caught up in trying to be perfect,” Allen said. Indeed, trying to be perfect causes many students to suffer from mental stress and anxiety. “I feel like this logo is something that’s definitely not perfect, but it’s showing that it’s okay to not be perfect,” Allen continued.
The design’s minimalistic approach makes it easy to expand on the options currently available in the campus store. Since there are only two colors used in the official logo, the elements can be recolored and resized to fit all of Manchester’s needs. The design team, however, decided to use the iconic golden color to stay true to the old logo and keep something for the alumni to remember. “I’m getting hungry just looking at it,” Wilson stated.
Manchester’s new logo was created to be timeless. Following in the footsteps of many popular companies, the new minimalistic logo is straightforward and easy on the eyes. One difficult decision was what color to make the M. Since the logo already incorporated Manchester’s favorite golden shade, the options were between black and white. In the end, the team decided to stick with a white M to mimic another element from the old logo.
Frank Roth, one of the social media coordinators for Manchester, stated: “I think it really represents Manchester and how we’re not like other schools.” Roth, as someone who has created graphic designs before, gave continued opinions on the artistic design. “Personally, I really love the logo. My favorite part is that it’s not centered,” he said. “I really like the choice not to include both of our school colors.”
Roth is excited to begin using the new logo on the social media page and in future projects. “I think it’s going to be a very exciting change for Manchester,” he exclaimed.
Allen is also excited to see where this new logo takes Manchester, “It takes a lot of guts to, you know, really go forward and change something as big as a logo, so to rebrand that way is absolutely enormous,” he said.
The design team is excited to begin using the new logo and letting students show their Spartan pride in a simple, modern way. “We just see it and we go ‘That’s Manchester,’” Allen stated. The new logo will begin to replace the old logo immediately throughout the coming weeks. “We’re unique, we’re diverse, we don’t have to be perfect,” Allen said. The logo will stand for all Spartans and provide the school spirit that students need.