UT incorporates teal and magenta accents into school colors

For more than a century, the University of Toledo’s school colors have been blue and gold.

Now, in a decision that is raising eyebrows, the historic tradition is getting a makeover: Teal and magenta accents are being added as part of a new marketing strategy, the university announced Tuesday.

The change is part of an effort to merge the branding of UT’s academic and health care operations. Magenta accents will apply to academic materials, while teal accenting will be used for healthcare marketing.

Some students had mixed feelings about the announcement.

UT student body President Lucas Will, a fourth-year student studying Spanish and economics, said he is open to the idea but was surprised he had not heard of it earlier.

“I am always hesitant of messing with tradition, but I am also someone who likes to give change a chance for the sake of attracting the next generation of Rockets,” Mr. Will said.

“That being said, something of this caliber definitely should have had some level of student input if it did not. I hope that the university will try to have more student involvement taken into consideration in the future when deciding to make changes to our campus,” he said.

Others worried the updates may tinker with tradition.

“The University of Toledo already has so much history, and changing part of the colors feels like the school is trying to change a part of our past and tradition,” said Elaina Westrick, a second-year education major.

The university called the rebrand “authentic and aspirational to tell the UToledo story” in Tuesday’s news release, saying the change will “inspire more students to unlock their potential” and “encourage more of our community members to receive the absolute best care” from university physicians and providers.

Third-year criminal justice major Chris Madden said that he didn’t think the change was a bad idea, but he didn’t understand why it had to happen.

“I don’t see the reason as to why we would add magenta and teal when those aren’t our colors,” Mr. Madden said. “I do love seeing new changes to our university, but this just doesn’t make sense.”

“We have bigger problems like admissions to worry about. Overall, I don’t think it’s that big of a deal, but I don’t see the purpose of it. If this is supposed to help draw in more students to UT, then I think it’s a useless and stupid idea,” he said.

To develop the new color scheme, the university recruited Wisconsin-based marketing firm BVK in a $585,000 contract that included “market research, competitive audits, brand framework development, and creative concepts.”

“UToledo will always be Midnight Blue and Gold, and we are proud to be,” UT spokesman Meghan Cunningham told The Blade on Wednesday. “We also have always used a secondary palette, and those colors have shifted over time with various rebranding initiatives.”

“We had heard from members of our campus community that they would like to add a little bit of variety to our marketing materials, so we updated our secondary palette to incorporate bold pops of color in limited uses,” she said.

The market research with BVK incorporated feedback from students and parents in addition to interviews with 26 stakeholders, over 1,600 survey respondents, and several focus groups, Ms. Cunningham said.

“I actually had no idea this was happening until the launch of the campaign,” Joelle Obri, a third-year pre-med major, said. “Though I do appreciate the university’s continuous work towards its future, I would have loved to see them incorporate students’ opinions before making this change. As always, I am excited for the future of this university and am always proud to be a Rocket.”

Fourth-year exercise science major Dylan Hershey was also surprised to learn of the change but remained optimistic.

“I had not heard any news about a potential addition of new colors,” he said. “I am disappointed the university had not done more to discuss this change with students and alumni because our input as Rockets matters.”

“However, this change signifies unity between our Rocket mission to improve the human condition across both academic and health care systems. As Rockets and Toledoans, we have the Power To Do, and I appreciate that reflection in our branding,” Mr. Hershey said.

Regarding the decision, UT interim President Matt Schroeder thanked the university’s marketing team for its hard work in organizing the rebrand.

“We are stronger together, and the transformational impact we have on the students we graduate and the patients we care for should be celebrated with a shared Rocket pride,” Mr. Schroeder said.

And what does UT’s rival to the south, whose orange and brown colors are often maligned, have to say about it?

When The Blade reached out to a spokesman at Bowling Green State University, she laughed and said she would need to check if the school would have a response. Three hours later, she said that BGSU would not be commenting.