UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State's newly redesigned mark has won a Gold Award from Transform Magazine, the only global magazine to cover rebranding and brand development, for "Best Visual Identity from the Education Sector.”
Brand identity consulting firm Jerry Kuyper Partners of Westport, Connecticut, received the award for the design of the University's new graphic identity, launched in August 2015.
In its inaugural year, the Transform Awards North America program recognizes and celebrates brands that have most effectively and successfully addressed brand development, rebranding or brand repositioning.
The new academic symbol not only had to unite all of Penn State's 24 campus locations, but also had to harmoniously live beside the pre-existing Pennsylvania State University seal and the Intercollegiate Athletics logo. It also had to be user-friendly in Web, social media and video applications. Kuyper chose to retain the iconic Nittany Lion statue from the previous mark as inspiration; and, as the award states, "Artfully aligning simplicity with tradition, [the mark's] depiction of the dignified feline within a bold shield became the cornerstone of an inspired new identity."
London-based Transform Magazine also runs award programs for Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East and North Africa. The awards recognize best practices in corporate, product and global brand development work, with categories that focus on strategy, execution, content and evaluation. The Transform Awards are held annually in London, Dubai and Hong Kong.