THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 3A
9
Joshua Kendall/KANSAN
David Johnston addresses a group of University of Kansas professionals about the University's visual identity. The forum, held yesterday in the Kansas Room at the Kansas Union, is part of the University's Integrated Marketing Plan.
University image overhaul on its way
Logo and colors stay the same, but other school images to change
BY Ross Fitch
fritch@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITE
The University of Kansas should be one step closer to a new image tomorrow.
David Johnston, director of marketing, spoke with staff about the Visual Identity element of the University's overall Integrated Marketing Plan yesterday. Johnston said the approval of the Visual Identity creative brief should be finished tomorrow.
The creative brief is a statement of what the Visual Identity will need to communicate or say about the University.
A variety of images exist for the University, but they sometimes convey different messages, Johnston said. In a recent survey the team conducted, the University seal was associated with the words "tradition," "official" and "confusing." The Jayhawk elicited "athletics," "fun" and "bride."
Apart from the different icons, there are also many different typefaces, typographies and even color palettes associated with the University, Johnston said.
Examples include different color athletic jerseys and inconsistency using fonts and word ordering such as The University of Kansas, University of Kansas and Kansas University.
The approval of the brief will signal the end of the first of three phases that the Visual Identity Team will undergo as part of the overall Integrated Marketing Plan, Johnston said.
The first phase included researching for the visual identity. The second phase will involve exploring all the options and creating the new identity, and the third phase will involve implementing the new identity into the University community.
The Visual Identity Team's goal is to develop and implement an effective image for the University.
Related goals for the team include enhancing the image, reputation and visibility of the University in a way that differentiates it from rival universities.
The team also plans to provide a "toolbox" of guidelines that will arm faculty and staff with the tools — logos, templates and training — to implement the new identity in their departments and offices, Johnston said.
Johnston also calmed fears about the Jayhawk and detailed other changes.
The Jayhawk, Seal and traditional KU colors will not change and the Campanile will not be the new logo, he said. Some changes might be made in University departments or units.
Steps the team will undergo include: exploring the new identity as a typography and symbolic mark, exploring complimentary typefaces, creating a visual identity system of standards, and a plan for implementation and transition.
■ Late December 2004/Early January 2005
— Creative explorations of the identity
VISUAL IDENTITY
TIMELINE
The Jayhawk, Seal and tradition KU colors will not change and the Campanile will not be the new logo, he said. Some changes might be made in University departments or units.
The team has studied other universities that have used similar visual identity transition techniques, Johnston said. The University of Cincinnati, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Oregon, the University of Texas
Late January 2005
Three final designs will be presented
- Late January to early February 2005 — Open comment period
March to April 2005 Standards, toolbox and implementation system devised
May 2005 — Visual identity transition
Source: David Johnston, director of marketing
at Austin and Arizona State University were among the schools studied.
Some of the challenges the team faces are ensuring that the new visual identity communicates academic quality and that individual units can retain individuality while incorporating the new identity, Johnston said.
Alexis McKinley attended the forum and said the main challenge would be for the University to get all the different groups on board. They will have to work to allow people to incorporate individuality into the new identity, said McKinley, program coordinator of the University's Italy program.
With integrated projects like this, there needed to be support from the top. Johnston said. Thankfully, the University had the support of the chancellor and the Senior Marketing Team, he said.
There's a lot of apprehension about what might go away in transition, Hazlett said.
It was good to get clarification that the Jayhawk and other things aren't going to change.
For Leslie Hazlett, a fellow Italy program coordinator, the forum eased her mind about the changes.
"I feel like we're in good hands." Hazlett said.
— Edited by Steve Vockrodt
BY STEPHANE FARLEY
sfarley@kansan.com
KANSAN Writer
Campus A/C units irk city residents
Candice Davis' appreciation for the holiday season is different than many Lawrence residents'.
For Davis, an Oread neighborhood resident, the holiday is a welcome relief from a summer sound: a constant droning coming from the northwest side of GSP-Corbin Hall.
The noise started in April 2001, said Davis. From her home at 947 Louisiana St., she hears the droning about six months of the year — during late spring, summer and early fall.
The noise is a high-pitched droning sound that comes from the chiller, said Jim Modig, director for Design and Construction Management at the University of Kansas. The chiller produces the cooled liquid that provides air conditioning for the entire residence hall, said Modig. Neighbors' complaints have caused a series of repairs, and residents hope the last repair will be the final.
The decibel level was tested and the loudness of the noise was found to be within acceptable range, Modig said. It is the frequency or pitch that's the problem, kind of like fingernails scratching on a chalkboard, he said.
Davis doesn't open her bedroom windows during the summer anymore due to the constant sound. The sound, as demonstrated by Davis in her living room, is a high-pitched humming. With the windows shut and the fan on, the noise is lighter, Davis said, but she can still hear it. Davis' house is about 150 to 200 feet from the chiller.
The same type of chiller was installed at four other locations on campus: the west side of Summerfield Hall, Memorial Stadium, Hilltop Child Development Center and on the roof of JRP Hall. The problem is not caused by the manufacturer, because the five chillers come from four manufacturers, Modig said. The specific type of chillers chosen by the University is more energy efficient than other types, but with the efficiency comes some noise, he said.
Web Golden has a similar
problem to Davis', but his is with the chiller on top of JRP
"The sound seems to follow a line of sight." Golden said.
And Golden's house, 1132 West Hills Parkway, is within that line of sight.
It's hard to play and listen to music in the house, Golden said, because the background noise from the chiller is so loud. He used to be able to hear the stream in the backyard trickle, but the noise has made the stream inaudible.
The University would be looking at spending at least $180,000 to replace the entire chiller to get rid of the noise. Modig said.
In spring 2003, a concrete block wall was built around the GSP chiller to reduce the noise, but the south side, which faces the parking lot and garage, was left open for maintenance access, Modig said. When the chiller was turned back on for the second summer, the noise was actually louder than it had been without the acoustical wall, he said.
The manufacturer blamed the acoustical wall for the noise because there was not enough air circulation around the chiller, Modig said. That claim was tested by an unidentified third party and found false.
The complaints about the noise started almost right after the chiller was turned on for the first time, Modig said. But the problem might be fixed, now.
In summer 2004, the chiller was found to have a faulty pressure sensor, Modig said. It was also thought that too much refrigerant had been added to the chiller in late 2003 by a contractor, he said. To fix it, the volume of refrigerant in the chiller was lowered and a pressure sensor replaced.
"We're just waiting for summer," he said about whether the noise problem would be fixed. August and September turned out to be not as warm as expected, so the chiller could not be tested again.
The chillers are usually turned on about April 1, but if temperatures warm up earlier that date may change, Modig said. Design and Construction Management is evaluating the problems with the other four chillers.
— Edited by Janette Crawford
The Market (Dining area in front of the big screen) 3rd floor, Kansas Union
6-8 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 30th
Wednesday, Dec. 1st
Thursday, Dec. 2nd
contact: Kim File kfile@kn.edu
Center for Community Outreach § 405 Kansas Union § Lawrence, KS 66045 § (85) 864-4073 ccc@kau.edu