From the T-shirts in the bookstore to bus advertisements, the university logo is branded across everything that has to do with OLLU; and with good reason since identity of the university is tied into the logo.

However, one could accuse the university of being fickle with its choice of branding. Prior to 2004, the former letterhead and logo was an arched window similar to those located across campus. Recently, the addition of the Saints has added another dimension to the university identity.
           
The choice to re-invent the existing branding came with the increased attention to the market strategy for the university.

“The university adopted the OLLU logo in August 2004. This logo has been used in all publications and designs created by Communications and Marketing since that time,” said Anne Gomez, interim director of Communications and Marketing.

When the change did occur, it was met with some hesitation. The old window logo was phased out and the new “O” logo began to appear in its place. Similar to this limbo situation, is the current athletics’ confusion.

“The athletic teams’ names are Saints as we went through an extensive process last year (spring 2007) to select the name,” said Jack Hank, vice president of Student Life. This process included voting on a pre-selected list of names proposed by students, faculty, staff and alumni.

As with the window transition, long-time members of the university thought that the armadillo mascot, the original mascot of the university, was rolling out the door. Careful attention was made as the team names were integrated into the university. However, the university community has yet to see the armadillo running across the court or field. What has been seen is the fleur de lis, the official logo for the NFL team the New Orleans Saints.

“The fleur de lis is not designated as the logo and is not approved by the university so it should not be used.  Instances where the fleur de lis has represented (the team) have been addressed with the appropriate individuals,” Hank said.

 There have been steps toward some cohesiveness; all the athletics, including club and intramural sports, have been asked to adopt Saints as the official team name.

“As of now the Armadillo is still the university mascot. Every university goes through changes regarding mascots/branding…discussions regarding the mascot of the university will be ongoing, ” Hank said. 
What is official is the font for the Saints which can be obtained from Communications and Marketing, in addition to the yellow and blue OLLU logo.