Pillars of strength

Whitworth University has revealed an updated logo, carried out by branding agency Phinney Bischoff, to reflect changing times while staying true to its Christian roots.

Whitworth’s new logo features three vertical rhombuses in the university’s traditional crimson colour to create the letter ‘W’, symbolizing the Holy Trinity and towering pines of the university’s campus. Its minimal design provides a modern reinterpretation of the torch on Whitworth’s previous logo, breaking it down into pillars used as graphic elements in the new logo. The third pillar faces the opposite direction to create a ‘U’ within the ‘W’ to denote an unexpected shift in direction, one of the university’s major themes.

The new logo rebrands the university as an atypical and modern Christian university to help attract an intentionally diverse community and open up a wider recruitment pool. Breaking away from expectations many have regarding Christian universities, Whitworth does not require chapel, holds open discussions about questions of faith and God, encourages students to study abroad and holds a strong NCAA-D3 sports program in the Northwest Conference.

According to the Whitworth University website, president Beck A. Taylor says, “Our hope is that over time, Whitworth's constituents will associate the new logo with the university's enduring commitments to Christ-centered higher education, relational culture, friendly Northwest charm, amazing outdoor beauty, and courageous academic conversations.”

The rebrand has been launched on the university’s website and other major touch points. New requests for printed material will feature the new logo, though print materials are allowed to carry the old logo until 30 June 2018, by which the university will fully transition to the new branding.

Since its founding in 1890, Whitworth University, located in Spokane, Washington, has equipped students to ‘honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity’ through more than 100 bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. A private liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian church, it is ranked as one of the top regional colleges and universities in the west, with an enrollment of 3,000 students. The university, now at its strongest financial position in history, has seen record levels of growth in student enrollment, retention, and external visibility over the past few years.