A company’s brand is a critical component of organizational recognition. From taglines and logos to colors and fonts, the brand is the image — and reputation — of an organization.
The first time Liberty University intentionally utilized branding to set it apart from other academic institutions was in 1975. That year, in support of the founding principles that made America great, the name changed from Lynchburg Baptist College to Liberty Baptist College and the school colors changed from green and gold to red, white, and blue.
Through the years, as Liberty grew in both size and prominence, the imagery was refined to keep up with current design standards.
Now, as Liberty continues to take leaps forward — upgrading its academic and athletic facilities in a major campus transformation, increasing its academic excellence, and continuing to bring in prominent figures from every sphere of society — the university is bringing its brand forward, as well.
“We have already established brand equity in our current wordmarks, athletics logos, and other visual branding elements,” said Chancellor and President Jerry Falwell, Jr. “We believe that now is the time to make certain updates to our branding elements — prior to the anticipated advancement of Liberty’s athletics program to the highest levels of NCAA competition over the next few years. We are implementing a more modern, refined, and refreshed appearance without straying too far from Liberty’s classic look.”
The updates include a bolder enhancement to the Flames eagle logo and a new monogram, as well as refinements to the university wordmarks. It also includes a new logo for the Liberty Flames Sports Network, which is set to launch in September.
Use of the LU monogram had been discouraged in previous years, as other universities could also claim the initials, so Liberty channeled its efforts into building name recognition instead. Now, in light of recent explosive growth and expanding national prominence, the time to adopt the custom of other major universities in allowing the university initials to speak for themselves has come. As Liberty continues to set the bar and lead the way in many athletic and academic endeavors, there is no doubt that this step will ultimately result in greater brand recognition — when people hear of LU they will think of Liberty University.
Falwell said the enhanced brand is “designed to integrate the strength of Liberty’s past with its future.” The principles upon which the school was founded will continue to anchor it as it rises to new levels of excellence. The look may change, but the mission — Training Champions for Christ — never will.
