In 2021, LSU of Alexandria (LSUA) implemented a new academic structure comprising five colleges encompassing the university’s wide range of programs. The new format results from the university’s commitment to upholding academic excellence and expanding engagement with students, scholars, and the larger community. However, this restructuring posed an intriguing challenge: Maintaining brand consistency and visibility amidst this significant expansion.

The Challenge: Creating Distinct Identities

Establishing LSUA’s five academic colleges - Business, Liberal Arts, Health & Human Services, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, and Social Sciences - raised critical questions about their unique identity within the larger LSUA brand ecosystem. This pressing need led college deans and department chairs to request individual logos to spotlight their distinctive opportunities and degree programs without causing brand discord.

Adding new program logos presented the risk of disrupting the LSUA brand’s coherence, potentially confusing audiences. Addressing this problem required a comprehensive approach that preserved the consistency of the LSUA brand while facilitating better representation for each college. Our team, the Division of Strategic Communications, suggested an innovative solution - creating a new brand system centered around insignias.

Setting the Strategic Objectives

Introducing insignias served a dual purpose: It was set to enhance external marketing for the new colleges and academic programs while ensuring that the overarching LSUA brand identity remains intact. The Division established three strategic objectives to ensure that the College Insignias project aligned with the university’s mission and goals:

1. Create a Unified Design System: Each insignia must adhere to a unified design system, providing greater accessibility.

2. Maintain Brand Integrity: Each insignia must compliment the LSUA brand identity, avoiding dissonance with audience segments.

3. Increase Academic Representation: Each insignia is required to holistically represent its respective programs and opportunities.

Design and Implementation

Designing the Insignias demanded months of collaboration between our team, the Office of Academic Affairs, and college leadership. The resulting designs consisted of iconography representing each college’s fields of study, enclosed within a “leaf” form that subtly alluded to the primary LSUA logo. This harmonious design language ensured that the Insignias functioned as a cohesive suite while still preserving their individual distinctiveness.

The development of the LSUA Insignia Brand System exemplifies a nuanced approach to brand management during organizational expansion. It demonstrates the importance of maintaining brand integrity, fostering academic representation, and promoting a unified design system in the face of rapid growth.