Norwich Letterhead Gets New Look

By Nathan Braden
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

By June 1, 2000 school officials at Norwich University and its affiliated campuses in Montpelier and Brattleboro hope to have full implementation of a newly designed letterhead, which will be used throughout the institution.

About five years ago, the Norwich Board of Trustees noticed the difference in colors and logos at the different campuses, said Frank Griffis, Executive Director of University Marketing for Norwich.

"Some of the programs were not even affiliating themselves with Norwich University, which did not create a cohesive impression of the institution," Griffis said. Even so, the idea to change the letterhead was not acted upon until last year. "I took my current position last year and that is when they asked that something be done," he said.

"It was a fairly long process," said Tom Greene, NU Director of Public Relations. "There was a need to integrate the different signage between the different campuses of the University; consistency is important."

Deanna Berns, Director of Publications and Norwich University Printing Services, said that an ad hoc university identity committee, comprised of faculty and staff from both campuses and chaired by Frank Griffis, "spent several months working on the design. It is important that the university's visual materials project a clear, consistent, and easily remembered image that reflects the character of the institution. We feel this design does that and more."

Focus groups were also used to review sample letterheads and to give feedback on each design. The focus groups consisted of students, alumni groups, faculty, and staff, Greene said.

"We narrowed it down to about a half dozen [designs] but none were what the committee was looking for so Dee [Berns] combined them and created what we went with in the end," Griffis explained.

The new letterhead "draws from our tradition, history, culture, and location," Berns said, adding that the new design offers two options: one for the Northfield campus and one for the Montpelier/Brattleboro campuses.

The image will be the same except "the visual image of Jackman Hall is replaced with College Hall at Vermont College," she said.

"There are different variations for each campus and each office," Greene said, but the letterhead will give "a more consistent look."

A major difference in the design of the new letterhead as compared to the one presently used, is the lack of the school seal in the new design. The issue of using the seal was debated, but constant use of it "diminishes its importance," Greene explained. "The seal will now be reserved for official documents, diplomas, legal documents, and correspondence from the president."

The seal is definitely not going away, Griffis said, explaining that the new design still gives a sense of tradition.

Greene anticipates a "smooth" transition in implementing the new letterhead. "It is basically a matter of exhausting existing [old design] supplies."

"It will be easy to implement the new design into the Norwich community," Berns said, because Norwich "has the technology and equipment to produce this design as needed."

The cost of the implementation will be minimal compared to the benefits of a better-looking design, Griffis said.

"In addition to its image-enhancing value, a carefully-managed visual identity program actually saves time and money," Berns said. "By applying simple guidelines, stylistic decisions may be made quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively."

The new letterhead is a sign of Norwich keeping abreast to a changing and evolving society, said Griffis, adding that the new design reflects "a balance between tradition and a modern society."

Greene agreed. "The design shows age, permanence, stability, and strength."

The Norwich community can expect to start seeing the new design on business cards and letterhead very soon, Griffis said.