ESTERO
Florida Gulf Coast University is saying out with the old and in with the new for their new logo, which got revealed on Wednesday.
It will replace the school’s original O-shaped eagle symbol and is FGCU’s first logo redesign after winning a campus-wide vote.
Grace Brannigan, the student body president, spoke with WINK News about the change.
“FGCU today is very different than it was in 1997,” Brannigan said.
“I think that it uses our most recognizable logo, which is the eagle head from our athletic logo.. and I also think it shows FGCU is young and exciting, which we are. We are the second youngest school in the state university system, so it’s a really good representation of us,” Brannigan said.
On Wednesday, students, faculty, and staff came together for a new logo launch party.
The new FGCU logo. CREDIT: WINK News
The winner was a strong favorite over the other two options, but that doesn’t mean they were all happy.
“There were also a lot of students kind of confused as to why there was a logo change when it looks so similar to our athletics logo, especially. But overall, I think it’s a nice fresh logo,” Tori Puglise, a student at FGCU, said.
The logo redesign committee comprises people from across campus who wanted to focus on the university’s architecture and diversity.
“Tradition is to be non-traditional, and in many respects, that’s what we do here,” FGCU President Mike Martin said.
Martin hopes to retire in the next year but believes the new logo represents constant growth at FGCU.
“We broke tradition in building this new University. We’ve had a nice 25-year tradition with that logo.. It’s time to start a new set of traditions. So, it’s been fun, and I appreciate the people who worked so hard on it, and obviously, people across campus had numerous opportunities to hear about it and provide input, and it came out great. I’m just looking forward… I got a new outfit. I got a new cap. I mean, can’t beat that,” Martin said.
The new logo, along with brand-new architecture, will be phased in through the winter and spring of 2023.
WINK NEWS