By: Hannah Paige Michels ~Head Photo Editor~

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com | The solo “X” was reserved solely for the athletic department but will now be available to clubs.

Xavier has made some branding updates to reflect the university’s values and overall image. The most noticeable change is the update to the university logo. Xavier has dropped the grey shield and claimed the solo navy and white “X.”

This branding refresh is good news for campus clubs and organizations because the coveted “X” is now up for grabs. The classic “X” image is no longer reserved for select groups of the university and is now available for any student to potentially use.

Marketing Partner and Advertising Strategist Kim Costanzo confirmed that the branding usage approval process is the same for clubs through the Office of Student Involvement.

Entering second semester, faculty received a detailed pamphlet on the university’s branding including specific colors, logos and pillar statement s. Assistant Vice President for Marketing and Communications Doug Ruschman said that this simplified logo is just a small portion of the new branding mission.

“We think of [the ‘X’] as one of the minor things because the ‘X’ is part of our shield already,” Ruschman said.

He explained a larger portion of the branding changes are the university’s brand pillars: Learning, Serving, Achieving, Together.

Research from the summer of 2016 surveyed Xavier alumni, students, faculty and prospective students and found these four recurring themes. Ruschman stressed the influence that students had on the cementing of the four pillars.

“It really came from the student commitment hanging on the outside of Fenwick,” Ruschman said.

Ruschman said that togetherness and community are consistent themes that faculty and students associate with Xavier.

“It’s the all for one, one for all spirit,” Ruschman said.

While Xavier is simplifying the logo, the shield is not going anywhere. Ruschman said it will be a more formal piece of Xavier’s brand and will most likely have more official uses.

“The ‘X’ is what alumni relate to, what prospective students know us to be. We’re just dialing up the ‘X,’” Ruschman said.

He continued that, while some people may see this as new branding, “this is just a continuation of our trajectory about where we’ve been heading.”