SU Branding

One of Marketing’s mandates is to maintain the SU identity.

The SU identity (as opposed to its brand) is strongly linked to its logo. As you know, we recently updated the SU logo, and we are now in the process of applying that update in a coherent way to everything from business cards to notebooks, and from letterhead to labels.

As part of that process we are developing standards to ensure that the SU identity is applied consistently on every piece of SU printed (and other) material that will be in front of students. One way we do that is by requiring that work that is going to be in front of students must go through Marketing.

We will be updating our Design Standards Guide shortly.

History of the SU Logo

The very first emblem of the Students’ Union was a hand-stitched banner showing the legend of St George and the dragon. Similar banners were presented to about 12 universities in 1911, by the then governor general, Albert Henry George Grey, with the hope that “its design may stimulate the students to emulate the example of St. George.” As the story goes, St. George (now the patron saint of England) agreed to slay a dragon that terrified a small village on the promise that the entire village would agree to be baptized.

The president of the University, Henry Marshall Tory, decided to give the banner to the president of the Students’ Union as the insignia of the office. It was used for many years, but went through a number of misadventures, and is now lost.

The first graphic image to be used as a logo by the Students’ Union was the Jordi Bonet cast-aluminum mural, which was installed when SUB was first built and still hangs on the south facade of the building. Although the sculpture is remarkable at full size, it was a difficult element to work with on things such as business cards, and in 1999, the flame logo was designed. It was inspired by the fire pit in SUB, which was created by Jonathan Wood, and subtly shows the letters SU in the flames.

In 2015, with the opening of the glass Atrium following extensive renovations to the building, we decided to update the flame logo. Designed by Anna Campbell, a summer student who is now on staff at the SU, the logo features a smoother flame image, and a new font that can more easily be used in documents and on the web.

The SU Brand

Originally, the idea of a brand was associated almost exclusively with an organization’s logo, and while its identity remains a key element, today, the brand of an organization is defined less by that organization, and more by the people who interact with it.

This is largely a result of social media: a brand is not what we say it is, it’s what they think it is; as a result, brand management is increasingly seen as delivering a consistent message and a distinctive customer experience.

At the SU, our brand is closely associated with our mission (which is to serve, represent, and engage students), with the four pillars that support our mission, and with our values. The first page of our Strategic Plan (which you can download here) spells out our values, and the four pillars.

And they are also on the walls of the reception area in 2-900!

Brand Consistency within the SU

Most of the SU’s businesses and services has their own identities. Typically they are linked to a logo, to a consistent “look and feel”, or a combination of the two.

When applied consistently, a well established identity is very valuable, and becomes a key part of the brand. As a result, a complete re-brand each year can be damaging to an organization’s identity. People build positive associations and trust with brands that they have been exposed to over time. “Familiarity breeds liking,” after all!

Frequent re-branding destroys that recognition. On the other hand, if you have run the same campaign for 5 years with very few changes, it may be time to look at a refresh. As a standard we recommend a minimum of two years and a maximum of five.

Phone

780-492-4241

Students' Union Executive and Administrative Offices
Room 2-900
Students' Union Building
University of Alberta
8900 - 114 Street NW
Edmonton, AB
T6G 2J7