Augusta University Logo: A History of Branding and Identity
Augusta University (AU), a public research university and academic medical center in Augusta, Georgia, has undergone several transformations in its branding and identity, reflected in its logos. This article explores the history of the Augusta University logo, tracing its evolution from its predecessor institutions to its current representation.
From Medical Academy to Augusta University: A Historical Overview
The story of Augusta University begins with the establishment of its founding colleges. Georgia Health Sciences University was chartered in 1828 as the Medical Academy of Georgia, upon the request of Milton Antony and Joseph Adams Eve, to offer a single course of lectures leading to a bachelor's degree. Augusta State University traces its roots to 1783, when the Academy of Richmond County was founded as a high school.
Over the years, these institutions underwent several name changes and expansions. In December 1829, the Georgia General Assembly changed the name of the Medical Academy of Georgia to the Medical Institute of Georgia, and again to the Medical College of Georgia in December 1833. Augusta College was renamed Augusta State University in 1996.
Consolidation and Rebranding
In January 2013, Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University consolidated to form Georgia Regents University. This marked a significant shift in the institution's identity, necessitating a new logo that would represent the unified entity. In October of that year, the school changed its name to Georgia Regents University Augusta, and in 2015, they finally settled on their current name: Augusta University.
The Augusta University Logo: Design and Symbolism
With the establishment of Augusta University, a new logo was unveiled to reflect the institution's mission and values. The new Augusta University Logo is all about bringing the community together. School officials and students express excitement about the new Augusta University Logo.
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The university logo has two primary components - the shield and the signature. This mark is the embodiment of everything Augusta University. It represents our colleges, clinical assets, and institutions. It stands for our shared history and future. It is crucial our use of this logo be consistent.
The Shield
The shield is a custom illustrated representation of the university tower. Its form within the shield creates an ‘A’ initial. The community really has saved the “A”, as you can see the letter “A” in the bell tower design of the logo, which will be used across campus.
The designers expanded on that idea by incorporating architectural cues from the Augusta community into an A-frame bell tower in a U-shaped shield.
The Signature
Our name is Augusta University on first reference and “Augusta” on subsequent references. It is preferred that we not use “AU,” as that acronym is already used by several other organizations and universities.
Typography
No other university communication should use this typeface or font. The system approach is further emphasized by the new look of the typography that, while unified at the institutional level, breaks off into other fonts for other uses.
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Clear Space and Size Guidelines
When the logo appears on its own, it requires a fixed amount of clear space around it. Text, photos or other graphic elements should never encroach on this space. There are no standardized placement guidelines for the logo. It is also encouraged to follow these size guidelines when using the logo. If the logo is too small, it loses legibility.
College, Divisional, and Office Logos
College logos carry the university look and feel. The type treatments are treated as artwork and follow the same clear space rules as the logo. Each college logo consists of the university shield, signature, college name and program or department when necessary. College abbreviations carry the university look and feel. The type treatments are treated as artwork and follow the same clear space rules as the logo. Divisional lockups carry the university look and feel. The type treatments are treated as artwork and follow the same clear space rules as the logo. Each divisional mark consists of the university shield, signature, division name and sub-divisional department. These are examples of academic divisions within Augusta University. All divisions have sub-divisional categories. Office lockups carry the university look and feel. The type treatments are treated as artwork and follow the same clear space rules as the logo. Each office or department mark consists of the niversity shield, signature and office or department name.
Reversing the Logo
When reversing the logo on a background color darker than Augusta blue, use the lockup treatment on the far left.
The University Seal
The Augusta University seal is the most formal graphic representation of the institution. The university seal is reserved for Presidential and Provost communication.
Athletic Logos
On the Athletics logos, the victory “A” and the Jaguar both look more aggressive than the older GRU logos. As you can see, this is a decent-sized upgrade when it comes to the jaguar.
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The Branding Process
“One of the things that the community doesn’t necessarily understand is that a rebrand of this size is a system and not a logo design,” said Daniel Stewart, studio director at Wier/Stewart, the Augusta firm hired to create Augusta University’s new brand identity.
“It’s important to have a suite of marks that can represent the different facets of the different initiatives of the organization,” said Jack Evans, vice president of communications and marketing.
Using a monolithic approach, that system serves as the visual identity for everything under the Augusta University umbrella, including the health system and satellite campuses. “We wanted a monolithic branding strategy so that the world would know that, whether you were interfacing with our Philosophy Department or visiting one of our clinics or attending one of our performances, you were engaging with an organization that was excellent, that was outstanding and was all part of Augusta University,” said Dr.
“We used this grid as we were building things to make sure our stuff was appropriate,” said Account Executive Samantha Mellinger. To check their work on the university seal, for example, they went even more extreme, putting the seal on a chart with 40 other university seals. But that’s just at first glance. While the seal was the perfect place to combine the different aspects of the two institutions, the shield needed to be an inclusive image, since it represents the colleges, clinical assets and institutions.
Community Impact and Future Vision
President Brooks Keel addressed the new look Thursday, saying the roll-out is all about bringing the community together. It’s definitely not a bad look at all, and the students seem excited enough about the change, so maybe this will stick for a while.
“Augusta is a college town,” Evans said. “That was sort of the design mantra. The Communications and Marketing team and our consultants all carried that with us. And that was intentional. “I can’t wait to see the flags in front of businesses and homes,” Evans said.
“Changing the name to Augusta University along with all the branding that we did associated with that, it has been amazing. “The analogy I like to use is that we’ve been for so long driving down the road looking in the rearview mirror and now we are driving down the road looking out the windshield,” Keel said. “Everybody has come together on that. “This next group of freshmen coming in, it will have always been Augusta University to them. And that’s a huge turning point,” he said.
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