For the first time in its history, the community college now has a formal graphic design manual to guide faculty, staff and students in creating a distinctive CCRI look for college stationery and publications. Also, a new and improved visual identity program for the Department of Athletics has been developed that centers around a creatively designed “Knight,” the official school mascot.

According to Dennis Moore, director of Public Relations and Publications, the new standards are long overdue. “In recent years, recognition of CCRI has increased dramatically and we want to do everything we can to reinforce our positive image,” Moore said. “It has become increasingly important that we communicate one clear and unifying public identity to our diverse audiences.”

As the information age has morphed into information overload, the public is constantly bombarded with messages from newspapers, magazines, Web sites, televisions, radios, cell phones, and billboards, to name just a few. And for marketers hoping to have their business or organization stand out, it is critical that they create a brand to distinguish themselves from the competition.

For the past several months, Moore's department has been spearheading an effort to create a system of new visual identity elements and standards for the community college. These standards will help reinforce a strong and definitive impression of CCRI’s quality, professionalism and commitment to academic excellence.

“Creating consistent graphic design standards is one of the basic elements in an overall plan for designing a college brand,” Moore said. “Other important elements include determining what distinguishes the community college from the competition, the creation of a positioning tagline, and developing a consistent look for marketing and communication materials.” According to Moore, much of the direction for these identifiers will be forthcoming when the Vision, Mission and Values committee publishes these new visionary statements that have been nearly a year in the making.

The CCRI Graphic Identity System Manual is an important tool in communicating one clear and unifying public identity to the college’s diverse audiences. The manual spells out the correct way to create a distinctive look on everything from letterhead to publications. The new set of standards introduces refined versions of the official CCRI logo, seal and official signatures, as well as usage and typographic guidelines, and approved stationery and publication templates.

Over the next several weeks, Moore and Communication Design Specialist Dave Fischbach of the PR and Publications department will host a series of workshops on all college campuses for those employees responsible for creating department stationery, envelopes, brochures, flyers and other publications. Following these meetings, the employees will have access to the manual that will be available on the PR Web site in a PDF format. The site will also contain links to the new graphics and brochure templates to be used by college personnel.

“This is an important undertaking for our college and the benefits gained by acquiring a stronger institutional identity far outweigh inconveniences we may experience as individuals or members of a department,” Moore said.

In addition to the new college standards, the CCRI Department of Athletics has a new look with the redesign of the longstanding “Knights” identity. “While we are proud of the original Knight created by famed illustrator Frank Lanning more than 35 years ago, it is time to introduce a new Knight that represents a more modern element for a nationally recognized institution with a commitment to the student athlete,” said Louis Pullano, director of the Department of Athletics.

The new CCRI Knight embodies the strong history of athletics at the college, but has been given a new contemporary look comprised of four different elements. “A multi-color plume represents the diversity of CCRI students; the shield represents the State of Rhode Island; the knight, steed and armor stands for the commuting CCRI student and the knowledge and experience that will carry them into future success,” said Pullano. “The final element, the lance, represents the implements or tools used to achieve success, whether on the athletic field or in the classroom.”

In addition to the new logo, the graphic standards include new stationery for the department as well as newly designed numbers for team uniforms. “All of our coaches are enthusiastic about our new identity,” said Pullano. “They recognize that uniforms emblazoned with the logo contribute immeasurably to the identification of the college’s image, while building school spirit and athletic camaraderie. In addition, the new identity gives us an opportunity to fundraise and market our apparel to heighten the visibility and awareness of CCRI.”

It is also expected that the athletics department will use the new design to create a team mascot to attend all games and to represent the college at community events.