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New logo design under way


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South Dakota State University decided it needed to update its Jackrabbit logo, something that would seem to be a simple process. But as this story from the SDSU Collegian shows, pleasing everyone has been anything but simple.

Formed last fall, the logo committee had hoped to release the new logo at the NDSU/SDSU men's basketball game on Feb. 3. But the unveiling was delayed.

Rob Peterson, associate athletic director and member of the logo committee, told The Collegian last week that committee members had asked to see different sizes and colors of the proposed logo.

Athletic Director Fred Oien said this week he is confident that the logo committee will find a new jackrabbit that accurately represents SDSU.

"We are far from where we need to be because we need to go in front of the general public," he said.

"If it had a farmer behind it with a rake, it would be perfect," said Ross Hettinger, who said the latest drawing reminds him more of a cottontail rabbit than a jackrabbit.

"I couldn't see putting this rabbit that was in the paper on a basketball court or a football field. If it's going to be a sports mascot, it should have some attitude," said Hettinger, a junior art education major.

Daktronics marketing associate Crystal Ehresmann, a 2003 SDSU graphic design graduate, said she was disappointed in the latest version of logo because it was "Peter Rabbit-esque."

The moral of the story? Even when you have a PC logo and you decide to change it, getting everyone to agree on a new and different design is far from easy.

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Which is why I think that, if the worst possible scenario (nickname change) comes to pass, the pro nickname changers should not get any more influence on the new name than run of the mill alumni and current students. And their objections should be taken with a grain of salt. They wanted the nickname changed and (hypothetically) they got it. That's where their influence ends.

That being said, I hope we keep the nickname.

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If the name and logo should ever go away, I would not want the administration to hold some cheesy contest for a new name. I would want the administration to just drop the name and logo and let one come about naturally. Give it time and see if one naturally comes to the forefront that most fans and alumni could get behind. Trying to force a new name on the athletic department that the administration chose behind closed doors just doesn't seem right. SDSU fans are pretty worked up that their administration just wants to update their logo. I wonder what SS.com posters would get behind for a new name? :blush:

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If the name and logo should ever go away, I would not want the administration to hold some cheesy contest for a new name. I would want the administration to just drop the name and logo and let one come about naturally. Give it time and see if one naturally comes to the forefront that most fans and alumni could get behind. Trying to force a new name on the athletic department that the administration chose behind closed doors just doesn't seem right. SDSU fans are pretty worked up that their administration just wants to update their logo. I wonder what SS.com posters would get behind for a new name? :blush:

Has enough time passed for me to re-introduce your

University of North Dakota

Accounting Stu!

siouxstu1copy.jpg

hmm? hmm?

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If you're asking whether your joke is still not funny, the answer is "yes."

Oh well.

When you're mascot is tied-up in court proceedings, spending his pension on lawyers and court fees, Stu will be at the ready. Just give him two-weeks notice so he can notify his boss. Also, Stu asks for Sundays off so he can be with his family. And NO accounting jokes - he has a terrific sense of humor, but not for derivative jokes about his left-brained personality.

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SDSU continues to try to please everybody.

Logo goes back to the drawing board

The committee promises focus groups and an online poll before making a decision

The committee picking the next Jackrabbit logo decided Feb. 7 to get two new designs from the logo design firm.

"We're going to pursue different styles of rabbits," said Kat Brandtjen, Students' Association Vice President and a student member of the logo committee. "We opened it up to discussion to get people back on board."

Brandtjen said the committee wants an abstract design, but gave no real direction for the other look.

The logo is being redesigned because of a potential problem with the current design and Warner Brothers Studio's Bugs Bunny, Crickard said.

She said the committee is currently waiting for the designs but eventually plans to get feedback before making a final decision.

"Once we have several designs, the committee will get feedback from students and alumni through focus groups and an online survey," she said. "The focus groups and survey have been a planned part of the process from the beginning."

Representatives of Phoenix Design Works of New York, the design firm hired in late 2006 for $6,000, have visited the campus several times to meet with the committee.

There is no clear idea of when the final logo will be released, Crickard said, but the committee hopes to hear back from the firm in the next few weeks.

These designs have already been rejected:

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Is that rabbit on fire? No wonder it's running so fast. Or is that the Denver Bronco morphed into a rabbit?

1lscj799.jpg

I just can't get past the idea that it looks like something's coming out the rabbit's rear end.

mtqfsgo1.jpg

This is a very soft, non-threatening bunny. Myles Brand would surely approve.

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I would suspect that the folks at Phoenix Design Works are going to make a heck of lot more than the $6,000 original price. As a contractor, I know how expensive things can get with a lack of clarity in the concept and the subsequent failure in the approval of the design due to the lack of clarity.

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Oh, you're being silly. To you, a masot implies a man in an oversized felt suit doing backflips on the 50-yard-line -- To me, a mascot is a symbol used to represent an entire student body or organization and its close followers; a deferential unified purpose.

While both logos and mascots can be used by corporations and advertisers, to me, a logo seems like a brand name printed on cardboard. Mascot is a logo plus spirit, feelings, and sentiment. A logo is a design you put on a hat and a mascot is a symbol of the institution, and, in this case, an entire state.

If anybody has actually read this, just know that this is my take on mascot v. logo -- everybody knows the stance of both sides of the nickname/logo/mascot issue.

Have a good day!

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Oh, you're being silly.

No, I'm not being silly. I have a Webster's dictionary that defines a mascot as "a person, animal, or object believed to bring good luck."

When your own personal definition of a mascot becomes the accepted standard, please let us know. Until then, I'll go by what the dictionary says and what the vast majority of people understand a mascot to be.

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