Launched to coincide with the publication of our 2010 undergraduate prospectus, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Henderson, said: 'The new brand builds on our heritage but also reflects how far we have travelled since becoming a University in 1992. We’ve trebled student numbers and are now providing opportunities for tens of thousands to benefit from higher education.
'The exciting, colourful and positive new visual identity will make it easier for us to get business, partners and others to see Teesside as the confident and innovative university it has become. It will also help us to enhance our visibility and impact both nationally and internationally.
'Changing what we call ourselves from the University of Teesside to Teesside University reflects the name we are colloquially known by among our students and the outside world and works well with the fresh new visual identity and our ‘inspiring success’ message.'
The new brand will also give the University a chance to remind the world about a number of its recent successes, including:
Professor Henderson says: 'It is not just a question of developing our logo; but letting more people know what we’ve achieved and the contribution we are making to the economy.
'PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) put the total gross domestic economic impact of the University at £815m per annum, which highlights just what an important contribution the University is making - not just to individuals but also to the regional and UK economy.'
The former logo was introduced after Teesside became a University in 1992 and served the institution for a decade and a half with only minor design changes. But many felt it was starting to show its age and graphic designers sometimes found it a bit awkward to use.
The new logo is seen as being more dynamic in the way it refreshes the old seven piece ‘tangram’ jigsaw that formed the shape of U with a T inside. The new design has a more obvious T for Teesside in white on a more colourful U for the University as is clean and simple to use and is felt to have greater impact.