by Austin M. Davis
The University of Regina Students’ Union logo was unchanged for 20 years – until this summer. “It looked out-dated. Twenty years is, I think, an appropriate time to refresh a logo,” said URSU President Kent Peterson.
The former monolith – an homage to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey – was popular among most students but URSU’s Board of Directors agreed it was time for a complete rebranding.
The most noticeable aspect of the rebranding is the brand-new incorporation of light blue. The former logo had been entirely green.
“We were just looking for something that really portrayed – both in symbolism and in its shape and colour – the excitement of the organization,” Peterson explained.
The shape of the shield in the new logo represents URSU’s mandate to protect students and the speech bubble inside of the shield represents the union’s role as the voice of the students.
The motion for change was first presented to the board on May 26 and one design was selected out of eight during the June 9 meeting. Since the Owl – the campus pub and a component of the union – underwent a name change and rebranding last year, URSU recommended the change for “consistency and recognition purposes.”
According to Peterson, the logo change needed to be done quickly while providing students with a more aesthetically pleasing and contemporary logo.
“If you’re going to refresh, you might as well want it to catch someone’s eye.”
Dan Shier, who works for the union as a graphic designer, was assigned to develop a variety of concepts.
Both Peterson and Shier wanted a design that could potentially have the same longevity as its predecessor.
“My ultimate goals were to convey meaning, solidify the identity of the Students’ Union, and also convey the fact that the Students’ Union isn’t actually a division or department of the university, but in itself is a separate non-profit organization,” said Shier.
Shier has received comments from students both complimenting and condemning the new logo. “Negative feedback is always louder,” he said.
Second-year engineering student Evan Lascue doesn’t think the rebranding was much of an improvement.
“The new logo is more bland than the first,” Lascue said. “I’m sure somebody will push for a change, on any ground, sometime in the future.”
