Michigan State University Athletic Director Mark Hollis announced today that plans to redesign the Spartan helmet logo have been abandoned.
Criticism erupted last month after news leaked of a brand redesign scheduled to launch in April. At the time, the official statement from MSU was that the new helmet logo was “a single element of a comprehensive brand and identity project” conducted with Nike.
In today’s statement, Hollis addressed the concern over cost of a redesign, saying the university did not have to pay for the service. Hollis then responded to the criticism about redesigning an already powerful brand identity:
The recent disclosure of an updated Spartan logo from a trademark registration process has resulted in a flurry of concern and discontentment among some of our students, alumni, and fans. [...] Our primary objective is to achieve a strong and consistent Spartan brand, but rest assured that, as our mission statement attests, bringing Spartans together is one of our fundamental values.
Our identity and branding process is nearing completion and is on schedule for a complete rollout in April. The elements and applications of the brand design will be unveiled collectively at that time. After careful consideration, we will use the current Spartan logo design, first used in the late 1970s, to build our visual brand identity.
Right or wrong, the fans got the last word after all.
I am honestly really surprised at this change. Would love to have heard some of the conversation that went into the decision making!
I think this is remarkable. It’s oh so common for people to congregate behind a cause, whatever the cause may be. But oh so rare that a decision is actually reversed based on the public’s reaction. I think they made the right decision. If only NBC had listened to all the support for Conan!