UNDErmines

That wouldn't work at all. However, it does symbolize the logo development process pretty well. Somewhere, someday, a visionary school will adopt the snowy white and vivid black of the ermine, and they will hoist a national championship trophy as a result. Ermines are nature's greatest combination of adorable and fearsome.

I think people need to recognize that the whole process was done with the goal of minimizing criticism, not maximizing value. When you take that approach, you get a bland mascot and bland logo. It's how design by committee works. Good luck to the Figh-, oh, I can't even say it. Good luck to the Ermines this year.

That logo doesn't look at all like an ermine. I would grade it pretty low.

At least they're Fighting Hawks and not Stumbling Drunk Hawks or Panhandling Hawks. I'm a little surprised that a college went for Fighting Hawks and not Peacefully Protesting Hawks or Shrewdly Negotiating Hawks, though.

The noble ermine patiently awaits its long-overdue turn in the limelight.

Words aren't necessary when you have the infinitely black, staring eyes of impending death and doom.

Qualtrics is what marketing firms use when they don't understand research. If you ever see a consultant using Qualtrics or Zoomerang or (sigh) Surveymonkey, you can be sure that the consultant doesn't know the first thing about market research.

I never thought about this before. but the ideal solution at this point would be to go with the "UND Mascots", and then change mascots every year. One year it could be an ermine, and the next it could be a frost giant, and then next could be a woolly mammoth, and so on. Fans could then show their support by wearing mascots from different years, and it would sow great confusion among the enemies as well as selling lots of merchandise. It would give the cheerleaders and marching bands fresh material to work with every year, and it would be great fun for the fans. You'd be in the stands and you'd see someone with a "Homesteader" logo, and you'd say, "Oh, the 2021 season, right?" It would be a blast.

Does it have to be Sioux gear or can we stage other noble protests?

They recognize the possibility that the school UNDermines the process. Perhaps an even more clever mascot could play off of that very concept.

Maybe they'll put a sundog/ermine on one side of the helmet and leave the other side blank, like the Steelers do with their helmet. Then you can have the no nickname thing in the first quarter and third quarter.

Come back to me when a sundog chases down and kills a rabbit three times its size.

Admit it. Ermines is starting to sound pretty good right now, isn't it?

I'll go back and check. I could be remembering wrong.

I think you missed the best part.

I've always wanted to go to Finland, but I'm not sure why. I hope it's more than the fact that they have coed naked saunas.

I've become so involved in this process that I kind of feel like an alumni now. I may become a fan. Does this school have sports teams and stuff?

I am the Nikola Tesla of this process. The true genius of my creation will not be recognized until after my death.

Here are my rankings of the seven finalists, and remember, I'm a marketing expert. Names That Are Acceptable 1. North Stars. This was probably in the top 25 of the original list of names. Names That Are So Confusing That's I'll Squint At Them And Then Shrug And Wander Away 2. Nodaks 3. Sundogs 4. Roughriders Names That Aren't Actual Names, And Their Only Advantage Is That I Can Use An Ermine As Their Mascot 5. North Dakota Names That Are Worse Than Having No Name At All, Which I Didn't Think Was Possible 6. Green Hawks 7. Fighting Hawks

If you want an aviation name, there's a really obvious choice: Airmen. But you'd have to alter the spelling a little to be sure that you can get full creative control. Let's try a few options. Airmen. Nope. Ayrmine. Better, but nope. A-ermine. Hey, that one works!

Market research is one of the most valuable tools in the possession of man. I think the order goes: fire, wheel, market research. And of course that discounts the fact that market research greatly improved the fire and the wheel. That said, marketing firms typically are terrible at market research. Marketing and market research are two very different skill sets, but most marketing firms don't acknowledge that because they're chasing money. Hopefully this consulting firm has a legitimate research firm on their team.

Well, that's not the ONLY option...

Actually, now that you mention it, it does. I bet the NCAA would then end up having another problem with the fact that your football team is playing without helmets, though.

Well, I'm not going to say that that doesn't hurt.