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After thorough research, focused creative development, and an extensive feedback and testing phase, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh unveiled its creative expression of the brand last month.

The brand platform includes a new wordmark, tagline and other visual and verbal elements that support the University’s mission and values, including an innovative, six-part brand promise.

“Since each of UW Oshkosh’s key constituent group looks to the University to provide something different — whether it be a place of discovery for students or continued opportunity for faculty and staff — we believed strongly that it was important to articulate a specific brand promise to each segment,”  said Jeanette DeDiemar, executive director of Integrated Marketing and Communications.

The University’s promise to alumni: UW Oshkosh sends its graduates into the world as talented, liberally educated, technically skilled global citizens who are fully engaged as leaders and participants in economic, civic, political and social life and who have lifelong ties to the University.

The brand platform and guidelines represent nearly two years of work. Innovative in nature, the final product was completed by existing staff in the Office of Integrated Marketing and Communications. However, while the bulk of the work was completed by IMC, the entire campus community played a role in its development.

“Thanks are due to all those throughout the University who provided collaboration and counsel during the development process; your insight and feedback were essential,” said Chancellor Richard H. Wells. “We should be especially appreciative of how well our faculty, staff and students worked together as we reallocated our resources and talents to develop a sophisticated, authentic, and outcome-based integrated marketing and communications strategy.

“It is important to note that our comprehensive brand identity was not created by a single individual; rather, it was ‘discovered’ with the help of many internal and external constituencies. In other words, together, we have discovered something that has been an inherent part of our community for a long time. So it is now time to broadly share and continue to keep our brand promise,” he said.

DeDiemar added that the University has been introducing the new image incrementally over the past two years through a new University’s Web site, the launch of two awarding-winning publications — UW Oshkosh Today and the alumni magazine Engage — an overhaul of most print and online publications, and implementation of photography that reflects the University in an authentic, creative context.

“We have appreciated the participation of the hundreds of faculty, staff, students as well as external constituents who provided input and counsel during this rewarding process,” DeDiemar said. “These collaborative, ground-breaking efforts have resulted in a strong, compelling and authentic brand platform and have brought regional and national distinction to the University.”