Branding Gender - Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Identity

Logos are much more fun today.

Instead of slavishly adhering to a single logo version like we did in the old days, we are now willing to accept, and even embrace, variation within our logo designs.

Sometimes the need for variation is practical; when, for example, we adopt both a vertical and a horizontal version in order to accommodate the variety of places where our logo will be used.

And, sometimes the variation is symbolic as is the case with the above WGSX logo.

The color palette in the WGSX logo is designed to change from one use to another. Before you cry “brand inconsistency,” the reason that this approach works is because the other logo elements are distinctive enough to stand on their own regardless of the specific colors being used. Thus, the visual integrity of the logo is maintained even when the colors are changed.

Symbolically, the use of this rotating palette aligns well with the mission and goals of the WGSX program which celebrates the differences between people and actively promotes a harmonious world view. The rotating colors represent change; and change is a fundamental component of this program. Further, the overlapping colors might represent how, in a perfect world, we as individuals are changed when we interact with people who are different than us. It might also suggest how we are all part of the “spectrum” of humanity.

All of this gives the logo an added depth and meaning which resonates with viewers and helps makes the logo brand memorable. And what’s more, the color variety connotes a dynamic and versatile program.

And as an added bonus…it’s fun!

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the program’s annual colloquium event, we adapted the WGSX logo and created a new logo that will be used throughout the program’s twentieth year.

To maintain visual consistency, we repeated the program’s acronym inside of the 20 shape. We also employed the overlapping color treatment used in the primary logo.

The result? This anniversary logo is perfectly capable of representing the program on its own, without needing to be accompanied by the primary logo. Simple is better.

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