New brand for UWO

When I saw the new branding, my heart sank. I was very proud to be a graduate from UWO (all three degrees from UWO).  Now that the name is Western University, Canada, I feel absolutely no affiliation with the new institution. Quite frankly, the name sounds more like a fly-by-night institution you would see in a strip mall in the lower mainland of BC. The University just threw out 134 years of tradition and history.

When the Foundation calls next time for a donation to "Western University" my response will be simple: "I didn't graduate from Western University, so please do not call me again." The University has lost this donor forever. After almost 40 years of affiliation with UWO for me and my family, I am sad to say those ties have been broken by this narrow-focused and incredibly short sighted move by Amit Chakma.

I support the change. The University of Western Ontario name has been synonymous with self-satisfied alumni residing in the Toronto area, a second-tier research environment that hurts Western in the global rankings, and a less-than-diverse student body relative to McGill, UBC or U of T. Western U. is a fine name that will still embody the student experience and wonderful campus, but will also reflect the changing competitive realities for this institution. 

UWO was risking a permanent slide into mediocrity. This new name is the harbinger of at least an attempt to right the course for Western before it is too late. 

Wow, the amount of vitriol spilled over this very MINOR change is astounding.  I'm accustomed to rebranding projects in higher ed, and there are always strong feelings, but I find myself unable to comprehend most of the objections in this case.

Every student, faculty, staff or alumnus knows UWO as "Western".  The brand identity for the past (what, 10 years?) has said merely "Western".  When THAT brand identity was launched, I expected a lot more push-back than there was. The typeface was crude and ill-kerned, the tower image was overly fussy and awkwardly perched on the type, and it ruined the layout of virtually every promotional piece published for the decade it was in use.

Now, the supposed "name change" is just about adding "University Canada" under the "Western" name.  So what?  It'll play a bit better in international recruitment (although most institutions just use a different tagline overseas). The official, legal name remains unchanged.  And frankly, "Western University" was how the institution was originally founded more than a century ago.  I don't see how anybody can complain about a change in tradition.

Likewise, returning to the official coat of arms is an AWFULLY safe decision. (Consider what happened to uWaterloo when they tried to move to something more contemporary!)  Again, it's not a shocking innovation, it's a return to tradition.  Hardly a big deal.

The new visual identity is a BIG improvement, technically and artistically, over the previous one. It's a return to the historic name and coat of arms. The sub-brands (like "Western * Law" etc) look phenomenal. 

The only fair criticism that COULD be levelled against this redesign is that it is perhaps playing it a little TOO safe.  It certainly isn't taking any risks.  It won't stand out.  It doesn't convey anything much about the particular strengths of this institution.  But as a proud alum of UWO, I think the new identity is much more professional, and puts Western (visually) on a level playing field with Harvard, Penn State, and plenty of other institutions.

Ken

Ken Steele

Co-Founder, Academica Group

Am I the only one that sees the removal of "Ontario" from the name as being extremely confusing to everyone not familiar with the organization? How many people seeing the name for the first time would be surprised to find out "Western - University - Canada" is in Ontario, an eastern province? If you're part of the club, "Western" makes sense, but what about those that aren't part of the club. How will they perceive the institution?

That being said, I like the new visuals, consistency in brand is terrific, and the short video clip is very well put together.

Born and raised outside of London I grew up calling UWO "Western".  I went away for school and quickly realized that when I referred to my hometown university as "Western", people had no idea what school I was talking about. 

The problem is "Western" or "Western University" is that it is too generic a name for a school.  Google the name and you get a small health sciences university in California.  Mention "Western" to an American and they immediately think of the directional schools in their home state (i.e. Western Michigan, Western Illinois, Western Carolina).  Go beyond North America and the answers get even more varied (i.e. U of Western Australia, U of Western Brittany, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland).

It's somewhat foolhardy for the administration of UWO to believe that this regional moniker has worldwide recognition.  Most schools that are known by their moniker (i.e. Harvard, Yale, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, McGill) are able to do this since their name itself is unique.  Then you get to school such as Toronto, Cambridge, Oxford, Michigan (my alma mater) and Texas who are also known by a simple noun, but their uniqueness lies in the fact that their single noun name defines its location – and that location is well known.

Unfortunately, UWO is not a well-known school on the worldwide stage.  I do not mean to offend the school, its administration, student, faculty or alumni - but it isn't.  By attempting to distance the school from its location, the rebranding of UWO has in fact diluted its name worldwide name recognition rather than improved it.  Now when someone speaks about "Western University" outside of Ontario, they now will have to explain where that school is.  From my perspective, it's appears the school has pandered to the large, regional alumni base for the school and changed a good name to a cheapened contraction of itself. I can hear the musing of a UWO alumnus now..."If I called it 'Western', then everyone else around the world should know what school I am talking about". Unfortunately though, that is not the case.

Indeed, if the school truly wanted to elevate its name in the worldwide community and attract a diverse student and faculty body from around the world, they would be better served to change the name to something  that trumepted its location – and the University of Western Ontario is near perfect a name for that. 

Another alternative would be to embrace the school's acronym and use that at the common brand.  Many prestigious schools such as MIT and UCLA, embrace this moniker and use that to their advantage.  In fact, I would argue that UWO on its own has more brand recognition worldwide than another other variation on the University’s formal name.