Whitman College is in the process of transitioning to a new logo which incorporates Memorial Building clock tower and the rolling hills of the Walla Walla Valley. According to the administration, this logo is more than just a design: it is a visual identity for the college.

“The reason for creating a new visual identity was to create consistency and unity of Whitman’s graphic representation,” said Whitman Director of Communication Ruth Wardwell.

Prior to the redesign of the visual identity, there were multiple different logos that represented Whitman.

“Around campus, we’ve had a number of different fonts, colors and logos that have been used. The new visual identity allows us to have a consistent image that represents Whitman to external audiences,” said Tony Cabasco, Dean of Admission and Financial aid.

This new logo will also easily accommodate the various departments at Whitman.

“[The new visual identity will] give Whitman one simple, unified look that can be adapted to reflect the college,” said Wardwell.

A redesigned graphic identity affects all aspects of the Whitman community. The Office of Admission, for example, can make certain that visiting students see the same logo on the Viewbook as they do on the letterhead or on a banner when they visit.

“The visual identity will ensure that we have a consistent look when prospective students see admission publications, letters, etc., but also that this look will be consistent with what they will see and experience with other campus offices and departments,” said Cabasco.

While the combined icon and wordmark for the college is not a huge departure from the previous logos, the redesigning process was long and involved input from many sources.

President George Bridges began the redesigning process in November 2009, assembling a  task force composed of students and faculty to address what should be included in the new visual identity. The task force reviewed various potential designs and gave feedback to Bridges.

North Charles Street Design Organization, a Baltimore design firm, was then hired to create the logo. The company had worked with the Office of Admission in the past.  Whitman paid the firm a total of about $25,000 for their work designing the new logo, a figure that does not include the cost of  replacing signs, business cards and letterheads.

“It was a real advantage because [the design firm] knew Whitman,” said Wardwell.  

The firm created various logos from which Bridges picked, taking his task force’s comments into account as well as being sure to include  the rolling hills of the Walla Walla Valley in the final logo. The final product was revealed prior to commencement last year.

While the new visual identity represents Whitman, Wardwell draws a distinction between Whitman’s brand and Whitman’s logo.

“Whitman College needs to be instantly recognizable by its brand, but its brand is not its logo. The brand of Whitman College is academic excellence, well-rounded students, and caring, dedicated and really involved faculty,” she said.

Students had varying responses to the new logo.

“I think the new logo is classier, and it is nice to have an image to associate Whitman with,” said sophomore Kelsey Houghton.

“When I first saw the new logo I thought it was a temporary simple one while they fixed some sort of formatting problem on the website,” said sophomore Katie Chapman. “For quite a while it seemed way too simple, and I still don’t like it very much.”

While Whitman has updated many of the facilities around campus to incorporate the new logo, there are a few transitions that will occur in the coming year.   The gym floor at Sherwood Athletic Center, for example, has yet to be updated to include the new logo.

Given that the purpose of the redesign was to express the unity and consistency of Whitman’s visual identity, it is unlikely that the logo will be updated again in the near future.

“I can see the visual identity lasting the college for a long time,” said Wardwell.

For those wondering if the new visual identity truly represents Whitman, it is important to note the name of the font used in the logo. The font’s name is “Whitman.”