Every organization has a specific public identity, one partly formed by the look of its communications. Everything that you hear, see, or read about the organization contributes to your overall impression of its identity—your sense of what the organization is, what it does, and what it stands for. With the liberal arts at the core, combined with Language Schools, Bread Loaf, Schools Abroad, and the Monterey Institute, Middlebury has a distinct identity, different than that of its peer schools.
Consistent design helps us to present the College’s identity, its character and aspirations, clearly in our communications. We live in a world where time is at a premium and people are increasingly visually focused. Every communication — business cards, letters, signs, Power Point presentations, Web pages, printed publications, etc. — creates an impression. We want that impression to reflect the College’s identity in a consistent manner that sets Middlebury apart from other colleges, universities, and organizations.
In 2006, the president and trustees asked the Communications Office to implement a graphic identity system for Middlebury and for the Middlebury Initiative. The College worked with the internationally renowned design firm Chermayeff and Geismar to create a more consistent graphic identity system that would ensure that all of the College’s communications are visually coherent and effective. The system unifies the undergraduate college, schools, and programs with a single visual architecture. Guidelines for both the Middlebury Initiative and the College were approved in the summer of 2007.
The graphic identity system promotes a consistent approach in appearance and content in the College’s internal and external communications. The goal is that anyone receiving a communication from the admissions office, the Bread Loaf School of English, the Rohatyn Center, the Art Museum, or any other part of the college will immediately recognize a Middlebury connection.
The success of any identity program depends on the cooperation of all members of the College community.