Those who look on from the outside see your new logo. They make a few comments, often negative but sometimes positive, and they move on. That’s fine. You don’t want a logo to be a publicity hound or a point of controversy. A logo is a foundation for good communications. You build relationships with your various publics using your logo – but not because of the flash and glitter of the logo itself. Because it is a clear, distinguishable, and memorable sign.

Those on the outside rarely appreciate the identity system that goes hand in hand with the logo. The system is the accompanying guidelines on colors, fonts, stationery design, application of the logo, etc. Usually the identity system is explained in a graphic standards manual. (You can see an example of graphic standards manual we developed for Tufts University here).

Sometimes, if the offices around your campus are hungry for a new design, the minute you announce your logo, they will ask for the electronic file and want to start stamping it willy-nilly on whatever they are producing. They will be a little less happy when you send over a manual that tells them that they are only to apply the logo in strictly regulated ways and that they must use certain fonts and colors.

Although the identity system is the least appreciated part of logo work, it is as important to successful implementation of a new identity as the logo itself. Folks not involved with the day-to-day issues of design have no idea how much thought and organization go into production of a consistent, memorable brand identity.

For the sake of that identity system, it is essential that when you begin a logo development process, you conduct a comprehensive communications audit to catalog the complete range of communications associated with your institution – both on the web and in print. The audit needs to be as thorough as possible, including, for example, brochures and letters sent out by your athletics department, parent’s group, and alumni association. Posters developed by student clubs. Web sites developed by departments and centers. One of the most important areas to document are collaborations between parts of your institution and separate corporate or non-profit entities, for example a collaboration between a medical school and one of its hospitals in its teaching system.

This audit not only needs to account for the complete range of current communication but also look to the future. The goal for an effective identity system is that it will be in place for quite a long time, since the identity grows in effectiveness the more it is repeated. If there is a new center or school envisioned in the next five or ten years, it is wise to take this into account when developing the identity system. Is there a new bio-tech research park in the works? Is there a change of location afoot? Is there a capital campaign in the near future? All of these factors should be taken into account if possible in developing the system.

Normally it is the role of the design team heading up the logo development process to conduct this audit. You can help that team by beginning to assemble information. The most important thing for the in-house team managing the process to do is to insure that all important areas of communication are vetted as part of the audit process. The outside team will have no way of knowing about the many possible applications of the identity system. The in-house team need to direct the designers to critical applications.

The audit is the essential starting point for a logo development process. Don’t get underway without it.