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University paid design firm at least $30,000 for new logo

Auburn University is spending a minimum of $30,000 to a design firm for its new logo and visual identity system, according to an open records request provided Friday afternoon to The Plainsman. 

Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv, a design firm based in New York, is providing the University consultation through 2019 for $30,000.

According to the contract, payments are scheduled to be made in $5,000 increments from July 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2019.

It's possible, however, that this $30,000 price tag may not be indicative of the entire cost to change the logo and font, according to the contract signed in 2019.

The contract states that “Any specific design tasks will be estimated separately," meaning the cost could rise if the company was asked for more direct help with creation that went beyond consultation.

It was stated that the firm is acting in support of another contract titled, "Visual Identities Implementation." 

In abiding with the "Visual Identities Implementation" contract, the firm will provide "ongoing art direction and creative input on implementation."

It's still not known how much money Auburn spent in initially implementing the new logo.

The new logo has already been utilized in signage and architecture inside the Brown-Kopel Student Achievement Center, which is part of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, and Horton-Hardgrave Hall, the University’s newest facility that opened at the start of the fall semester.

It’s still unclear whether the revised logo will continue to be implemented.

During a Monday meeting with Student Government Association, SGA president Mary Margaret Turton announced that Ronald Burgess, Auburn University’s chief operating officer, told her the University would not be changing its classic logo.

“Because we’ve had conversations regarding the visual identity system for the past few weeks in here, I do want to share an update that I got this morning,” Turton said. ”General Burgess announced that we will not be moving forward with the new logo this morning. We have plans from that directive to continue using the traditional Auburn logo, so I just wanted to share that.”

That news was muddled, however, when the University announced that scrapping the logo hasn’t yet been decided.

“We have temporarily postponed implementation of the AU logo within the new system to allow opportunity for continued dialogue with stakeholders,” the University said in an email statement Tuesday to The Plainsman. “The recommendations are not yet mandated.”

News of Auburn changing its logo was first reported by Brandon Marcello of Auburn Undercover.



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The University said in an August press release that the change was necessary to make the “AU” more usable in “digital forms.” 

The “U” is larger than the “A” in the traditional logo, and in the proposed new logo the “A” is equal in size to the “U,” according to the University’s Office of Communication & Marketing.



Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief



Eduardo Medina, senior in journalism, is the editor-in-chief of The Auburn Plainsman.


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