Since UNMC launched its branding initiative last fall, the symbol on the right, known in branding parlance as UNMC’s “secondary icon,” has popped up all over campus.
It’s appeared on light pole banners, jacket lapels, e-mails, posters, flyers, T-shirts, coffee mugs and even on the guns, er arms, of a certain faculty member who participated in a push-up fundraiser for Haiti this past winter.
But did you realize there is meaning behind the flowing red lines that compose the icon? For example:
- The four lines that compose the icon represent the pillars of UNMC’s mission — education, research, patient care and outreach.
- The upward slope of the lines symbolizes the growth of UNMC and mimics the physical contours of the twin Durham Research Centers.
- The movement of the right lines represents UNMC’s momentum.
- The way the two sets of lines come together is meant to emulate the shield of UNMC’s hospital partner — The Nebraska Medical Center.
- The icon is loosely shaped as both a ‘U’ — for university — and a ‘V’ for the medical center’s vitality.
So now you know.