Queens University unveils new brand strategy, including new logo and new value proposition

Queens University is rebranding in an effort to expand awareness locally, regionally and nationally.

There are huge opportunities for our Charlotte universities to shoot up the national rankings. Charlotte universities have the chance to differentiate based on job career outcomes given the job growth in this city.

The rebranding of Queens was a huge effort led by Associate Vice President of Marketing, Jennifer Johnson. Queens also hired a fancy higher education branding firm named Ologie based in Columbus, Ohio.

Involvement by the numbers: 30 faculty and staff; 350 undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, staff, faculty and parents; 900 people who were college-bound high school students, their parents or degree-seeking Charlotte adults; an audit of 15 other colleges and universities.

Ologie, the branding firm hired by Queens, specializes in education branding (love the niche). Their clients include University of Arizona, Sewanee, Pratt Institute, Gonzaga and Purdue.

Let’s talk new logo.

Issues with the 15-year-old logo included equal size letters and a masculine look. 15 new logos were considered before settling on the simplified version below.

Old logo

New logo (unveiled today)

Along with the logo, Queens also has a new value proposition: “Queens draws on its dynamic Charlotte location to create an intentionally balanced learning experience to develop enlightened and productive leaders.”

I know this sounds like cheesy marketing speak, but this is very smart. They’re essentially saying that Queens students get the small school perks (2,400 total students) mixed with the opportunities of a big city (Charlotte) that’s hiring lots of people.

What other brand changes will you see from Queens?

Voice. They’ve identified six attributes that will be part of their brand voice: gracious, straightforward, purposeful, inspired, vibrant and prestigious.

Visuals. To showcase balance, you’ll see more visuals with diagonals, contrasting activities and bold headlines that use antonyms. Photography will also be shot from a student’s point of view.

No tagline. But, you will see new marketing phrases like “Yes. And.” as well as “Be Both. Be More.”

Font. The Q in Queens University was specifically drawn for Queens University and can’t be found in font libraries. The rest of the text includes a variety of font combinations.

Athletics. There will be no changes to their Rex and Royals marks used by their athletic programs.

What are your thoughts?