This story was updated on February 28, 2024 to include figures on the cost of the logo.

The University of Vermont is doing away with its primary logo — an image of the tower on its landmark Old Mill building — in favor of a simple V on a shield.

The university will roll out the new logo in phases over the next 16 months, according to the Division of Strategic Communications, which outlines a “2024 Brand Refresh” on its website.



Replacing the tower with a V shows that UVM’s work extends far beyond the main campus, according to the division.

“UVM also looks far beyond Vermont’s state borders to attract students, faculty members, and research partners — people for whom the outline of a particular building has little meaning,” the division said.

Between now and June, the new logo will take the place of the old one on business cards, stationery, retail merchandise and lamppost banners. UVM will apply to license the new V symbol. By June 2024, it will be featured on signs on campus.

The athletics logo, a different V with a catamount — the wild feline that is UVM’s mascot — will not change, said Adam White, executive director of university communications.
The university revealed the upcoming change with little fanfare. On Friday, when asked about the new logo, White released a statement that chief communications and marketing officer Joel Seligman sent to university leaders February 13.

“All great universities evolve, and this institution has emerged as a nationally recognized research university in recent years," Seligman wrote. "The graphic representations of our brand, color palette, and fonts have been deliberately selected to reinforce our reputation as a leading public research university.”

The community has plenty to say about the result. On social media, local residents question the rationale behind the rebranding.

“Can’t really get more generic looking than that,” one person wrote.
Tower-themed logos are popular with Vermont institutions. Saint Michael's College and Middlebury College have them, as do the Lyndon and Castleton campuses of Vermont State University. Goddard College's campus clock tower appeared on its logo for years, though at some point the college switched to a 12-point symbol. UVM's tower logo was created in the early 1990s.

Steeples, towers, and cupolas are popular logo themes because they stand out visually and are something visitors will remember, said Devin Colman, the state architectural historian.

"You kind of choose the tallest point when you're dealing with something like a campus, which has three dozen buildings on it," Colman said. "However, when every logo has a tower of some sort on it, they start to look the same and lose some of their power."

The cost of the rebranding was the sticking point for Burlington resident Keegan Albaugh, though he spoke before figures were made public.

“How are we making financial decisions at this university?” Albaugh said. “Yuck. It’s not an attractive logo, and the bigger piece is, I know it’s not cheap.”

In 2016, UVM paid a Philadelphia marketing firm more than $1.5 million for rebranding work that included making videos about UVM.