Up Close, Future Ready

Randolph-Macon will unveil a new brand platform this summer, which includes new logos and visual tools like fonts and patterns, united by the theme “Up Close, Future Ready.” The comprehensive branding project is part of an effort to evolve the College’s marketing as it focuses on improving awareness and aligning messaging with the needs of future students.

The new look will be deployed through a phased roll-out that includes on-campus signage, print publications, and a redesigned website later this year.

The words at the center of the project focus on RMC’s distinctive, individualized approach to preparing students for the future. “The college-wide commitment to student success that permeates our culture is very much enhanced by our scale and our philosophy of educating both mind and character,” explained President Robert R. Lindgren. “Faculty, staff, coaches, and our alumni community partner to help students prepare to make their way in the world. We want to raise that up as the centerpiece of what we do.”

“Up Close” communicates the deeply individualized academic and co-curricular experience that is a hallmark of a Randolph-Macon educational experience. “Future Ready” speaks to the enduring life and career-advancing skills with which students tackle their futures, thanks to RMC’s hands-on, interdisciplinary curriculum, exceptional mentorship and advising, and character and leadership development.

The work was directed by the Marketing and Communications team under the leadership of its Associate Vice President, Beth Campbell, and was executed in partnership with higher education research firm Simpson Scarborough and creative agency North Charles Street Design Organization. It was anchored in qualitative and quantitative research, which included nearly 1,500 surveys of internal and external audiences and dozens of interviews and panels. The project included creation of a brand messaging guide, a new graphic identity system, and a range of graphic tools to establish a visual system that is memorable, consistent, and modern.

New Wordmark Logo

The wordmark logo is intentionally clean to focus on name recognition for Randolph-Macon and introduce more flexibility and consistency in our mobile-first, digital era.

Official Monogram

The College will also claim our abbreviation “RMC” by including an official monogram in the suite of visual tools. Of note, this abbreviation does not include a hyphen.

Athletics Logo

Like the monogram, a streamlined logo for athletics reflects the elimination of the hyphen in the abbreviation of RMC or where it hangs over a second line of text.

Detailed guidelines, as well as logo downloads, are available for graphic designers and others who create official publications or merchandise. (Files can be accessed by those with RMC credentials on Buzznet.) Contact brand@rmc.edu with questions.