Texas Wesleyan University
Brand Identity | Strategy + Messaging | Print Collateral | Website Design Billboard Advertising | Recruitment Publications | Internal Publications
The Challenge
Texas Wesleyan, a private university with its main campus east of downtown Fort Worth and a total enrollment of nearly 3,200, came to J.O. to increase awareness of and interest in the university and its many programs.
The Solution
As an employee of Texas Wesleyan in the early 90’s, J.O.’s president was an integral member of the team that rebranded the identity for the university with a new logo, marketing pieces, collateral, website and $35 million capital campaign. J.O. launched TWU’s rebranding campaign in Spring 2012 to refresh the university’s identity.
The Result
J.O. redesigned the university’s logos, admission materials, websites and athletic logos and developed the tagline “Smaller. Smarter.” As a result, the university saw a 119 percent increase in applications in 2012.
The Shield
J.O.’s main focus in revamping the Wesleyan identity was to elevate the brand icon to represent Wesleyan as a top-tier university. We achieved this by adding dimension and movement to the design of the shield: the dynamic wave behind the “W” flame and slight beveled edge in the colors. We paired a classic, approachable font for “Texas Wesleyan” with a gold, sans serif font for “University,” in all caps, to create a clear distinction.
Schooling The Competition
J.O. started with the core of any brand’s identity, redesigning the university’s logos, admission materials, websites and athletic logos and developing the tagline “Smaller. Smarter.” The new tagline conveyed the sentiment that smaller class sizes equal a smart decision. “Smarter” works on two levels. First, it reinforces the smart decision to attend Texas Wesleyan, and second, it implies students will have a better opportunity to learn when they’re not “just a number” in a 500-person lecture hall.
To say the campaign and branding resonated would be an understatement. After the first year of the campaign, the university saw a 119 percent increase in applications.
Willie The Ram
Next, we tackled the athletic department’s logos. Wesleyan’s athletic uniforms displayed about six different logos and even more variance in colors. To create cohesiveness, we redesigned the icon depicting “Willie the Ram,” Wesleyan’s mascot, and crafted a wordmark option. We then created a crucial brand guideline to ensure uniformity (pun intended). Now, every athletic department and club proudly sports the same, unified logo — and the Rams are ready to charge!
