LOGO & BRAND ARCHITECTURE DEVELOPMENT
Purpose:
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is looking for a partner to help with the redesign of its institutional logo
and brand architecture to include all of the colleges, schools, centers and institutes. Although it has served us
well, our Florida Gulf Coast University logo was originally designed in 1996. What was once modern and
compelling has lost some of its impact over time. In our case it’s been 25 years. Beyond the age of our logo,
there are other challenges we have with the existing logo.
• The current logo doesn’t represent the youth and vitality of our people and programs.
• This design doesn’t adapt well to modern media formats. The current logo was developed primarily for
print media and doesn’t work well on the web, mobile platforms and social media. The text is not
legible at a small size, which leads to readability issues.
• Given the serif font, it’s often hard to read and doesn’t photograph well, which can make it hard to read
in small print and at a distance. And our eagle graphic can be problematic when used as a photo
backdrop or on a step and repeat because it looks like folks have horns coming out of their heads.
• Our logo isn’t as strong as some of our competitors. When you review the logos of UCF, UF and FIU
and dozens of others institutions, you’ll notice the use of bold fonts and abbreviated word marks.
• The institution has grown considerably with new colleges, divisions, departments, centers and institutes
that need to be appropriately incorporated under the brand identity. This will give us an opportunity to
address our brand architecture and bring those outliers back into the fold.
• The time is right. FGCU celebrates its 25th anniversary on August 25, 2022. This gives us an
opportunity to make the new identity a signature part of the anniversary celebration.
Background:
Located on the Southwest Florida coast between Fort Myers and Naples, Florida Gulf Coast University is a four-year public, regional institution and the second youngest member of the State University System of Florida. We opened our doors in August of 1997 and have been a catalyst for the region’s economy and a cultural hub for the community ever since. Our student population has grown to over 15,000 and we’ve transformed the lives of 36,000 alumni, the majority of whom live and work in the region and state. We are committed to the success of our students with small class sizes, numerous internships and service-learning opportunities, and innovative degree programs that focus on the needs of Southwest Florida. Learn more at www.fgcu.edu.
Scope of Work:
FGCU is looking for a marketing and design firm to review the current institutional logo and brand architecture,
and design a new institutional logo, wordmark and brand architecture to include all the colleges, schools, units, institutes,
centers and departments. This will not include the athletic logo.
Logo designs must:
• Appropriately represent Florida Gulf Coast University
• Include a primary institutional logo, wordmark and brand architecture that includes all colleges, schools, units,
centers, institutes and departments
• Help distinguish us from our competition
• Must be highly visible and work across all mediums and media (print, digital, video, mobile, signage, stationery,
more)
• Be scalable and identifiable at a small size
• Be created in full-color, single color and black & white
• Follow FGCU’s primary color palette of cobalt blue (PMS 288) and emerald green (PMS 3415)
• Should include a more formal Florida Gulf Coast University version along with a more condensed wordmark that
work together.
The brand architecture system/style guide must:
• Include the institutional logo, wordmark and logo hierarchy for colleges, schools, units, centers, institutes and
departments
• Craft guidelines and a logo system that are clear and simple to ensure complete uniformity across campus to
include colors, fonts and design standards
• Recommend how best to represent the university in school-specific advertising, brochures, etc.
The process must:
• Be inclusive with a discovery phase with students, alumni, faculty and administrative input
• Provide at least two institutional logo options so that our community has a voice in the process
• Work with FGCU’s University Marketing and Communications team to develop an introduction and rollout plan
that’s tied into our 25th Anniversary and ensures adoption and proper usage. FGCU’s 25th Anniversary will be
recognized during calendar year 2022 with the official opening date on August 25, 2022.
Due Date: August 9
Address:
Florida Gulf Coast University
Procurement Services
South Village Modular I
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565
Agencies to consider for this assignment include APCO Worldwide and Finn Partners.