Trinity University’s grand unveiling of a new logo of a maroon sun that would replace the image of the university’s bell tower was short-lived, as officials announced Tuesday that they are revisiting the design.
“After hearing significant feedback from alumni and members of our campus community, Trinity has decided to pause the rollout of the new logo while we carefully review that feedback and consider next steps,” reads a email sent to students, faculty and staff on Tuesday and signed by Tom Evelyn, vice president for strategic communications and marketing.
A portion of this email was also posted on the university’s social media pages.
The new logo was part of what officials refer to as a “brand refresh” announced last week intended to expand the reach of the private university now to a more national audience.
Planning for the rebrand took about a year, Evelyn said in an interview ahead of last week’s announcement. The process included conducting interviews with 300 stakeholders, including faculty, staff and alumni, and an agency was hired to design the new logo.
Evelyn declined to disclose the cost of the new branding.
The image of the sun was specifically chosen as an ode to the sun in the official Trinity University seal created nearly 160 years ago, officials said, and it was paired with a website redesign and updated messaging meant to better represent the university, its offerings and the San Antonio region to a larger audience.
“TU alum here. The new logo looks like something you’d pull from ClipArt. Generic, bland, meaningless,” reads a comment by Tim Sprehe on a social media post by related to the rebrand.
Online comments from people who identified as alums on social media ranged from a simple “nope” to those comparing the new logo to that of corporate businesses such as La Quinta Inn & Suites or Frost Bank.
University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the decision to pause the launch of the new logo. But according to the online post, feedback will be considered before moving forward.
“Your feedback is informing our discussions, and we will continue to keep the Trinity community updated as this process moves forward,” the statement reads.
On Tuesday afternoon, officials confirmed that the website redesign and plans for updated messaging will continue as planned. Evelyn’s email also directed officials to use use the “Trinity University wordmark (without the logo)” for now when needed.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We are committed to moving forward with care, transparency, and respect for our community,” the email reads. “The brand launch celebration scheduled for Aug. 24 will be postponed. We will continue to keep you informed throughout the process.”
The San Antonio Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
