Trajan.

Kansas University officials are hoping to get an image boost.

It’s not exactly an extreme makeover. The beloved Jayhawk mascot, for example, isn’t being touched. And crimson and blue are still the school colors, though KU has defined the university’s official “blue.”

But KU administrators are crafting a plan to get more bang for their KU-promoting buck.

“It’s easy for our university to be taken for granted,” Chancellor Robert Hemenway said, “and it’s easy for us at the university to take for granted that people know why a university is important.”

The integrated marketing campaign, which started last year, has garnered the most attention for a couple of decisions made by KU in the last year.

First, KU decided that royal blue – and not navy blue – would be the official color to complement the crimson in the official school colors.

Then, the university announced it had selected the letters “K” and “U,” in the Trajan typeface, to be the official KU logo. That decision came after an online survey featuring five finalists.

“This (logo) was described consistently as traditional with a modern flair,” said David Johnston, the university’s director of marketing. “It’s a good mix of fun and formal.”

The idea, Johnston said, is to make the university’s image more consistent. Before, there were dozens of logos representing different academic units, athletics and other departments.

For example, KU researchers could be out in the state, and people might not realize they were from KU because of the logo used. Or viewers might not realize the KU football team was on TV because their home uniforms were navy blue instead of the royal blue used by the basketball team.

Now that the color and logo have been chosen, a KU team, with help from Oregon-based consultants LandreyMorrow, is working to create a set of guidelines for using the logo and other KU symbols, including the Jayhawk and the university seal.

Plans call for the seal to be used the least because a survey showed even those affiliated with KU often find it confusing. The seal features Moses kneeling before the burning bush, a biblical scene.

“No one is saying if we all use one blue, we’ll have winning sports teams,” said Paul Carttar, executive vice chancellor for external affairs. “No one is saying if we have a consistent visual identity, we’ll have a great university. But we want to be in a position where the different parts reinforce the whole.”

In addition to creating a consistent visual image, goals of the overall campaign include:

¢ Enhancing KU’s reputation statewide to increase state funding. For example, officials stepped up regular meetings with legislators during this year’s legislative session.

¢ Communicate to Kansans and the Kansas City region the benefits of having a public research university in the state.

¢ Enhance recruitment to ensure KU’s student body is diverse and high-achieving.

The campaign hasn’t come without a price. LandreyMorrow will be paid $88,900 for its work with the logo, while consultant Christopher Simpson, a former Indiana University administrator, will be paid $159,000 for his work with the entire campaign.

But Hemenway said it would be worth it, if KU can get its story out throughout the state.

“This is a way for us to better articulate what it is we offer to the state of Kansas,” he said.