DURHAM, N.H. - The University of New Hampshire introduced its much-anticipated new logo during a men's hockey game against Boston College Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013.

The crisp, contemporary shield that strongly displays "NH" will be used by the university's three campuses in Durham, Manchester, and Concord for digital, print, and environmental branding. The blue and white logo expresses UNH's official colors and symbolically represents the blue water and white snow that draw so many people to the Granite State.

"The University of New Hampshire now has one symbol that conveys boldness and clarity around our mission of innovation and success for our students and alumni while connecting New Hampshire with the global economy," said President Mark Huddleston. "Like any serious enterprise in a competitive marketplace, we must invest in and manage our identity clearly and with consistency for those who know of our excellence and those who are learning about UNH for the first time."

The design was chosen by an advisory panel of students, alumni, faculty, and staff who carefully reviewed ideas and comments received from hundreds of individuals. World-class design firm Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv has worked closely with the university to refine and finalize many options. The firm is recognized for its iconic logos for global brands such as Mobil, NBC, Chase, National Geographic, PBS, and Brown University.

"Updating and replacing logos at universities is a sensitive matter. People's connections are very strong, very personal, and deeply internalized," said Joel Seligman, UNH's chief communications officer. "UNH has benefitted from so much direct input from our own students and other community members. The pairing of one of the world's best design firms with the creative juices of our Logo Advisory Panel led us to a superb result."

The new visual identity replaces the 15-year-old image of UNH's Thompson Hall clock tower, a familiar symbol on the Durham campus that served the university so well for 15 years but not one that connects to UNH's campuses in Manchester and Concord. What's more, the previous logo presented challenges when used in digital media.

The new UNH logo joins the Wildcat image that represents UNH Athletics and the University's Seal, which is reserved for formal documents such as diplomas and other ceremonial communications. The new visual identity will be phased in to digital, print, and environmental branding elements over the coming months, beginning tonight. The artwork and timeline is available online at unh.edu/logo.

Limited edition T-shirts with the new UNH logo will be available through the UNH Marketplace http://www.unh.edu/shop beginning Dec. 16, 2013. Proceeds from these sales will benefit Operation Hat Trick (http://www.operationhattrick.com) a nonprofit that generates awareness, support, and funding for the recovery of America's wounded warriors, both active service members and veterans.

Image to be downloaded
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The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,300 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

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