From College to University: Leading Limestone’s 2020 Rebrand in the Midst of a Pandemic

I will never forget standing in front of the Curtis Building, watching the old metal “Limestone College” letters being taken down. They had not been there since Limestone’s founding in 1845, but they had been a fixture for many decades. They were there when I attended Limestone, greeting me each time I walked onto campus. Now, as Vice President for Communications & Marketing, I was watching them come down under the direction of our team.

In that moment, I felt a mixture of heaviness, pressure, and excitement. The weight came from knowing how much history those letters represented. The pressure came from leading a rebrand that would redefine how the world saw our institution. The excitement came from the rare opportunity to help shape a brand-new identity for the school I loved.

The change from Limestone College to Limestone University was more than an update to a name. It was the result of years of growth in graduate offerings and a deliberate decision to better position Limestone in the competitive higher education market. 

For our team, it was a chance to create an identity that reflected both our heritage and our ambitions for the future.

Creating a Visual Identity

One of our first tasks was designing a new institutional logo. We wanted something that honored Limestone’s traditions while signaling a modern, forward-looking vision. We were fortunate to have an exceptionally talented Associate Vice President/Director of Creative Services on our team who took on the task of creating the new logo. His incredible design skills not only gave us a beautiful and meaningful mark, they also saved the university thousands of dollars. Because the work was done in-house, we were able to control the design from start to finish, ensuring it reflected our exact vision for the rebrand.

The process was deliberate and collaborative, and when the final design was approved, it felt like a perfect fit. Alongside the main logo, we developed a suite of sub-branded logos for academic departments, athletics, and other campus units, giving the entire university a unified visual voice.

We also created Limestone’s first-ever Visual Identity Guide from scratch. This comprehensive resource covered everything from logo usage and typography to color palettes and photography styles. It became the blueprint for ensuring that every piece of communication, no matter the department, looked and felt unmistakably Limestone.

Transforming the Campus

The rebrand was not just about digital presence or printed materials. It reshaped the physical environment of the campus. New signage appeared everywhere, starting with the Curtis Building’s front entrance and extending to nearly every building, including athletics facilities. Door decals, directional signs, and even small details were updated to reflect the university’s new status.

To bring this transformation to life for others, I am including a video that captures the process from start to finish. Seeing the old signs come down and the new ones take their place tells the story in a way that words alone cannot.

Navigating a Pandemic Rollout

Launching a new name, logo, and brand in the summer of 2020 came with extraordinary challenges. COVID-19 restrictions meant scaling back or canceling the large-scale celebrations we had planned. Photo shoots and installations had to be adapted to keep everyone safe. While the campus was quieter than we hoped, the moment was still deeply significant.

Lessons We Learned Along the Way

Looking back, several key lessons emerged during the rebrand process:

• Prepare for the unexpected. Strong plans are essential, but flexibility is just as important when conditions change quickly.

• Educate early and often. Helping faculty, staff, and students understand the “why” behind the rebrand empowered them to serve as strong brand ambassadors from day one.

• Plan for life after launch. A detailed post-launch strategy made it easier to manage lingering updates and smaller projects.

• Celebrate creatively. Even without large gatherings, there are always ways to capture and honor the hard work behind a transformation like this.

• Audit everything earlier than you think you need to. From uniforms and stationery to vehicle graphics and website headers, there are always more branded items than you realize.

• Build extra time for approvals and installations. Vendor timelines, supply chain delays, and campus scheduling can quickly push deadlines.

• Document the process in real time. Photos, videos, and quick notes from the people involved became a valuable part of the university’s history.

• Think about digital as much as physical. Updating every web page, email template, and social media profile was just as critical as replacing signs on campus.

The Limestone rebrand was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects of my career. It demanded vision, precision, and resilience, and it gave the institution a strong, unified identity that continues to hold meaning and pride well beyond its doors.

Embracing Change While Honoring Legacy

While Limestone University’s Board of Trustees voted to close the institution earlier this year, the name and brand of Limestone University will continue to hold meaning and value. The legacy built through this rebrand, the spirit it captured, and the connections it forged will live on beyond the campus itself.

Rebranding an institution is about much more than changing a logo or updating signs. It is about honoring the past while stepping boldly into the future. It takes courage to let go of something familiar and vision to imagine what comes next.

If there is one piece of advice I would give to anyone leading a transformation of this scale, it is this: embrace the opportunity to tell your story in a new way. Change invites curiosity, and curiosity opens the door for connection. Use that moment to show people who you are, what you stand for, and where you are going.

Big projects like this will test your patience, challenge your problem-solving skills, and stretch your creativity. But when you see the results come to life, when you watch a community rally around a refreshed identity that truly represents them, you realize the work is worth every late night and every difficult decision.

The day those old letters came down from the Curtis Building, I felt the weight of history and the spark of possibility at the same time. That is the balance every rebrand seeks to achieve. Hold on to that balance, and you will not only create a stronger brand, you will help preserve a legacy that continues to inspire and connect people for years to come.

To watch a video showcasing the signage change from Limestone College to Limestone University, click HERE.