The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is uniting under a single brand.
Announced Dec. 16, the new Nebraska “N” will replace icons used by UNL academic units, Husker Athletics and the Nebraska Alumni Association.
The new icon — an optimized version of the Huskers’ “N,” reconfigured to align within a square matrix of a digital pixel grid — will be made available in January. Marcelo Plioplis, the creative director with University Communications who updated the icon, said adoption of the new brand mark will be done over an extended period of time, with key campus elements changed out by July 1.
“This will be a phased approach,” Plioplis said. “The main campus entry points, like our pole banners and entrance signs, will be updated by July 1. Other areas it is used can be updated as needed over time.”
Admissions, which begins fall recruitment campaigns in May, is expected to be one of the first campus units to complete a transition to the new icon.
“Never before has there been one ‘N’ icon to cover the entire university,” Plioplis said. “By being unified, it strengthens the university’s overall brand as we compete for today’s distracted audiences. It also unifies our efforts as we move forward in pursuit of campus goals.”
University Communications will make the updated Nebraska “N” available to campus in 2016. And, the new logo will be incorporated into UNL websites on May 8.
“We’ll update the web framework after May commencement to include the new identity,” said Bob Crisler, director of Internet and interactive media for University Communications and Information Technology Services. “Website branding will be automatically updated for any UNL site.”
Crisler said an online “Lockups Factory” is being created to automatically generate graphic files that campus units use to feature their name alongside the “N” icon. The service is projected for a March release.
For more information about the updated Nebraska “N” icon and brand, contact Plioplis at mplioplis2@unl.edu or Lonna Kliment, director of licensing and branding for Nebraska Athletics, at lkliment2@unl.edu.
