UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012 - (Page 49)

From left to rightMary Ann Campbell (Dr. Jordan’s Secretary), Donna Beth McCormick, Jonelle Jordan and then-UT Dallas President Bryce Jordan. Dr. Bryce Jordan Hindsight: Donna Beth McCormick, Bryce Jordan and “The Bug” Today, in an effort to better tell its story of excellence and achievement, The University of Texas at Dallas follows a brand standards program comparable to those found at nearly all national universities. The program, instituted not long after Dr. David E. Daniel became president, specifies the correct appearance and appropriate uses of University colors, logos and institutional marks on products from Facebook to T-shirts to diplomas. These recently instituted, and thanks to the proliferation of digital media, seemingly everexpanding guidelines got their start in a humble yet inspired moment shared by two pioneers of the University’s early years, former President Bryce Jordan and his former Executive Assistant Donna Beth McCormick who collaborated on the first UTD logo. Still in use today, the green, orange and white ovoid is often referred to by designers and printers as “the bug,” an acknowledgement of its scalability: even at .25 of an inch, it is readable and holds its visual integrity. It is used for street signage and other presentations that call for simplicity and readability above all else. Dr. Jordan, a musicologist was became president of UT Dallas for 10 years beginning in July 1971, a position he held for 10 years before being appointed UT System Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and later president of Penn State, and Ms. McCormick, who worked at the University for five years and who is currently an active political volunteer and docent at the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, describe their memories of the very serviceable bug’s beginnings. McCormick: “We were building a university ... and part of that process included creating a visual identity for the University. In the summer of 1971 … Dr. Jordan, who had always been a bit of a doodler, hand-drew a box with the letters “U” and “T” in it, then doodled another box with a “D” in it, immediately to the right of the first. He said, ‘Let’s have the colors orange and white.' 'And green,’ I added. When he asked why, I told him, ‘Because I like green.’” Jordan: “I thought, ‘We need a logo.’ I sat down with some colored pencils and sketched this out. I wanted it to have the UT in it for sure—that’s a prestigious pair of initials for the Dallas/Fort Worth area—and wanted to have the 'D' there as well. I drew the oblong shape and put the dividing line between UT and D. I wanted the colors of UT Austin in it because I knew that everybody would understand and would recognize burnt orange and white, but I wanted another color to identify it with UT Dallas.”

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012
Contents
On Campus
From the Lab
Arts and Culture
Courtside Success
Athletics
Research Is Teaching
Town and Gown
In Your Footsteps: An Alumni Perspective
Alumni Notes
In Memoriam
Hindsight

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012