UNC-Charlotte Construction

[tozmervo]

A bit in the Ledger caught my eye today. I didn't know that UNC Charlotte was undergoing a brand overhaul. It's evident that the website domain is changing from uncc.edu, which is huge. unccharlotte.edu seems like a natural move, but I wonder if they're going for a more substantial change in the name of the university? They have to get a lot of political ducks in a row for that, so I can't imagine they could have kept a name change secret.

Brand Overview | Brand Identity & Visual Standards | UNC Charlotte

FAQs | Brand Identity & Visual Standards | UNC Charlotte

[J-Rob]

I wonder if they could change the domain to charlotte.edu without fully changing name of university? I mean, charlotte.edu wouldn't be inaccurate. Branding could similarly emphasis Charlotte and minimize the UNC part too.  Hopefully its a full name change, but the branding was very outdated regardless, so I am very excited to see what they come up with. For better or worse, I honestly think the branding has a substantial impact on how the University is perceived both locally and nationally.  When I first moved to Charlotte a decade ago I had never heard of UNCC, and it seemed like a glorified version of CPCC (until I learned more).

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

I think they go the VT route.  No one refers to them as Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  When they rebranded the university & athletics including name and logo...they go by VT (Virginia Tech).  There's more hoops/legal stuff to jump through for Charlotte to completely change their name to University of Charlotte or Charlotte University as some have suggested on other forums.  But a rebrand (VT route) would allow them to de-emphasize the UNC part and heavily market just Charlotte (first step).  UNCC.edu will be no longer (95% sure it will be charlotte.edu as noted above and efforts are already underway to implement these changes).    Later down the road, Second step would be changing the official name if they wanted but that's a whole other battle.  Will be interesting to see how they replace the crown logo too.  Should be announced/revealed next month.  Essentially, everything will be branded Charlotte except for diplomas probably which would still show the official name (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)...VT example below showing how they utilize the rebranded name plus official name:

Edited July 21, 2021 by CharlotteWkndBuzz

[tozmervo]

53 minutes ago, J-Rob said:

I wonder if they could change the domain to charlotte.edu without fully changing name of university? I mean, charlotte.edu wouldn't be inaccurate. Branding could similarly emphasis Charlotte and minimize the UNC part too.  Hopefully its a full name change, but the branding was very outdated regardless, so I am very excited to see what they come up with. For better or worse, I honestly think the branding has a substantial impact on how the University is perceived both locally and nationally.  When I first moved to Charlotte a decade ago I had never heard of UNCC, and it seemed like a glorified version of CPCC (until I learned more).

Ohhh charlotte.edu is a good guess. I bet you're onto something there. Whois charlotte.edu 

[videtur quam contuor]

LSU (Louisiana State) is" Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College". The original and historic name has not changed. The common name has changed.

[#1Son]

UNC CHARLOTTE just needs to make a big enough fuss and the name can be changed.  NC State was founded as "North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts".  At some point it was changed to the "University of North Carolina at Raleigh" which didn't sit too well with the alumni so now it is officially "North Carolina State University at Raleigh".   

[videtur quam contuor]

The University names in the UNC system trace their most recent lineage to the creation of the UNC System in 1971-72. Before this point the individual campuses fought for funding independently and their local representatives serving in Raleigh were judged by how much they could extract in the budget for their school. This was an ugly process with acrimony and jealousy. With the creation of a single tertiary administration this ended all regional fighting "in the legislature." There are still campus concerns expressed within the overall UNC System administration. 

As an aside, when I was young the Chapel Hill campus of the University of North Carolina, as it was known at the time, was for white men only. This is within my lifetime. Our history is not so far away.

https://www.northcarolina.edu/about-us/

Edited July 21, 2021 by tarhoosier

[tozmervo]

As speculated, they are now at www.charlotte.edu & dramatically reduced the use of "University of North Carolina at." It is a little weird that they adopted the athletics logo.

Edit, their launch article actually directly addresses using the athletics logo for everything: Hi, we’re Charlotte. Nice to meet you. | Inside UNC Charlotte | UNC Charlotte

Edited August 19, 2021 by tozmervo

[apexniner]

3 hours ago, tozmervo said:

It is a little weird that they adopted the athletics logo.

Not unique though, Clemson and Michigan also incorporate their athletic logo into their respective university branding.

[DavieNative]

4 hours ago, tozmervo said:

As speculated, they are now at www.charlotte.edu & dramatically reduced the use of "University of North Carolina at." It is a little weird that they adopted the athletics logo.

Edit, their launch article actually directly addresses using the athletics logo for everything: Hi, we’re Charlotte. Nice to meet you. | Inside UNC Charlotte | UNC Charlotte

Singular branding makes the most sense for an organization that already has an identity crisis issue. Looking forward to the future for the University of Charlotte.

[joenc]

27 minutes ago, DavieNative said:

Singular branding makes the most sense for an organization that already has an identity crisis issue. Looking forward to the future for the University of Charlotte.

What's this font they are using under the logo? Looks like someone did this in MS Paint.

Edited August 19, 2021 by joenc

[Madison Parkitect]

41 minutes ago, joenc said:

What's this font they are using under the logo? Looks like someone did this in MS Paint.

Looks like they combined the pickaxe (the worst part of the athletics logo) with the text from the old logo (the worst part of that one) into one new awful logo.

[ertley]

I think I've already expressed this here before, at some point, but Charlotte University's (is that how we'll refer to it now?) team name and logo are completely and utterly wrong and misguided, the lasting result of a major historical error in (mis)judgment. The gold rush of 1849 sapped Charlotte of its early national prominence as the gold-producing center of the U.S.: 1849 (and '48) were *bad* years for Charlotte! I realize alumni would be adamantly against ever changing it, but in my mind Charlotte naming a team and mascot in reference to the '49 gold rush is almost akin to Emory naming its team "Sherman's March" or College of Charleston the "Hugos" or San Francisco the "Fiery Earthquakes". It just ain't right!

[tozmervo]

4 hours ago, ertley said:

I think I've already expressed this here before, at some point, but Charlotte University's (is that how we'll refer to it now?) team name and logo are completely and utterly wrong and misguided, the lasting result of a major historical error in (mis)judgment. The gold rush of 1849 sapped Charlotte of its early national prominence as the gold-producing center of the U.S.: 1849 (and '48) were *bad* years for Charlotte! I realize alumni would be adamantly against ever changing it, but in my mind Charlotte naming a team and mascot in reference to the '49 gold rush is almost akin to Emory naming its team "Sherman's March" or College of Charleston the "Hugos" or San Francisco the "Fiery Earthquakes". It just ain't right!

Fiery Earthquakes would be a pretty badass team name

[Guest]

5 hours ago, ertley said:

I think I've already expressed this here before, at some point, but Charlotte University's (is that how we'll refer to it now?) team name and logo are completely and utterly wrong and misguided, the lasting result of a major historical error in (mis)judgment. The gold rush of 1849 sapped Charlotte of its early national prominence as the gold-producing center of the U.S.: 1849 (and '48) were *bad* years for Charlotte! I realize alumni would be adamantly against ever changing it, but in my mind Charlotte naming a team and mascot in reference to the '49 gold rush is almost akin to Emory naming its team "Sherman's March" or College of Charleston the "Hugos" or San Francisco the "Fiery Earthquakes". It just ain't right!

I dislike it too but it is technically referring to 1949, the year the school was founded. Now who can expect anyone to know that, especially those not from Charlotte? 

Edited August 20, 2021 by Guest

[KJHburg]

8 hours ago, MothBeast said:

I dislike it too but it is technically referring to 1949, the year the school was founded. Now who can expect anyone to know that, especially those not from Charlotte? 

but what is an Oregon Duck?  or why are they Tigers in Clemson?  I dont know the meaning of any of those team names do you?   why are their Blue Devils at Duke?  I dont think a team name for a school is supposed to be easily explainable.  But it does give you a chance to explain.   "So the school was founded in 1949 wow it is big now" 

[carolinaboy]

10 hours ago, MothBeast said:

I dislike it too but it is technically referring to 1949, the year the school was founded. Now who can expect anyone to know that, especially those not from Charlotte? 

My daughter just started school there and according to what I saw in the student store, the University was founded in 1946. I could be wrong though.

[CLT2014]

11 minutes ago, carolinaboy said:

My daughter just started school there and according to what I saw in the student store, the University was founded in 1946. I could be wrong though.

Founded in 1946, but saved from closure by the state in 1949... hence "49ers" for the year 1949 and the resiliency to keep the school open.... but then for a mascot they decided to pick a miner from the 18"49" gold rush in California, who were also resilient (but didn't live here and  were 100 years earlier) and then kind of associate that with the Carolina Gold Rush (that is less famous, but local). Overall it is confusing and most outsiders would be like "why is a school in North Carolina themed after the 1849 California gold rush?" If this was Cal State Sacramento or something, it would make sense... 

Edited August 20, 2021 by CLT2014

[SydneyCarton]

3 hours ago, KJHburg said:

but what is an Oregon Duck?  or why are they Tigers in Clemson?  I dont know the meaning of any of those team names do you?   why are their Blue Devils at Duke?  I dont think a team name for a school is supposed to be easily explainable.  But it does give you a chance to explain.   "So the school was founded in 1949 wow it is big now" 

UNC Charlotte is beautiful.

P.S.:  As for Duke:

During World War I the Chasseurs Alpins, nicknamed "les Diables Bleus," were well known French soldiers. They first gained attention when their unique training and alpine knowledge was counted upon to break the stalemate of trench warfare in their native region of the French Alps. Unfortunately the Vosges Campaign in March, 1915, failed to alter the status quo even though the Blue Devils won accolades for their courage. However, their distinctive blue uniform with flowing cape and jaunty beret captured public imagination. When the United States entered the war, units of the French Blue Devils toured the country helping raise money in the war effort. Irving Berlin captured their spirit in song describing them as "strong and active, most attractive . . . those Devils, the Blue Devils of France."

As the war was ending in Europe, the Trinity College Board of Trustees lifted its quarter-century ban of football on campus. After playing an intramural class schedule for one year, Trinity began intercollegiate competition in 1920. That first year the traditional nomenclature of the Trinity Eleven, the Blue and White or the Methodists (as opposed to the Baptists of nearby Wake Forest) described the team. In September, 1921, the student newspaper, the Trinity Chronicle, launched a campaign for a "catchy name, one of our own possession that would be instantly recognizable nationwide in songs, yells and publicity." At a campus pep rally to stir up enthusiasm it was pointed out that Georgia Tech was gaining recognition as the "Golden Tornados" and that rival North Carolina State College had recently adopted the name "Wolf Pack." There were numerous nominations including Catamounts, Grizzlies, Badgers, Dreadnaughts, and Captains which was in honor of the well-liked Coach W. W. "Cap" Card. Believing a choice utilizing the school colors of dark blue and white to be appropriate, the newspaper editors urged a selection from among the nominations of Blue Titans, Blue Eagles, Polar Bears, Blue Devils, Royal Blazes, or Blue Warriors. None of the nominations won strong favor but Blue Devils apparently had enough support to elicit the criticism that it would arouse opposition on the Methodist campus "for obvious reasons," and that it might prove risky and jeopardize football if a controversial name were used at that particular time. The football season passed with no official selection of a name.

https://goduke.com/sports/2006/2/21/242333.aspx

 

[DownEast]

Blue Devil = Trust fund kid from New Jersey.

[Matthew.Brendan]

I’m all for UCLT

[JRCLT]

As a current UNCC or UCLT (Matthew lol) student, it isn’t as big of a deal to many students as long as it isn’t something outrageous or crazy. The most I’ve heard is the fact that these changes will be a nuisance to website links and email changes.

[JacksonH]

13 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

Founded in 1946, but saved from closure by the state in 1949... hence "49ers" for the year 1949 and the resiliency to keep the school open.... but then for a mascot they decided to pick a miner from the 18"49" gold rush in California, who were also resilient (but didn't live here and  were 100 years earlier) and then kind of associate that with the Carolina Gold Rush (that is less famous, but local). Overall it is confusing and most outsiders would be like "why is a school in North Carolina themed after the 1849 California gold rush?" If this was Cal State Sacramento or something, it would make sense... 

For the last 40 years I have thought the '49ers name was because of the Carolina Gold Rush (linking that to the 1849  California Gold Rush) and because the university is on Highway 49.  I never knew of this 1949 connection until now.

[Windsurfer]

On 8/20/2021 at 9:08 PM, JacksonH said:

For the last 40 years I have thought the '49ers name was because of the Carolina Gold Rush (linking that to the 1849  California Gold Rush) and because the university is on Highway 49.  I never knew of this 1949 connection until now.

The least they could do would be to change to the '99ers', as our gold rush was 1799.  I also think they ought to put a marker where there used to be a gold mine over on the Highway 29 side.  

[tozmervo]

56 minutes ago, Windsurfer said:

The least they could do would be to change to the '99ers', as our gold rush was 1799.  I also think they ought to put a marker where there used to be a gold mine over on the Highway 29 side.  

I got 99 problems and brand logic is definitely one.