{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Brandifesto | Getting Brands to the Point","title":"3. Creating Consistency: The Wichita State Identity Overhaul (Part 2)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":875,"description":"What happens when a university has no visual rules — and every department is just doing whatever it wants? I sat down with Barth Hague, the former Chief Marketing Officer at Wichita State University, to talk about what it actually takes to build a consistent brand from the ground up. We covered the chaos that existed before the rebrand, why a logo is not a brand, and how setting boundaries can actually unleash creativity rather than kill it. This conversation is a masterclass in the ROI of visual standards — and why without them, you're simply throwing your investment away.HighlightsWichita State had multiple logos and zero visual standards when Barth arrived — every department was designing on its own termsThe marketing office functioned as the university's in-house ad agency, but without rules, the answer to every request was essentially \"do whatever you want\"Barth's philosophy: branding is a dollars-and-cents decision — without consistency, you're wasting your investment in a visual identityA logo is not a brand — colors, typography, photography, illustration style, texture, and pattern all work together to create brand DNAVisual standards don't limit creativity; they redirect it — the best creatives thrive within a well-defined frameworkBrand consistency sends a powerful signal to prospective students: if the university looks this put-together, maybe it is this put-togetherThe rebrand created a ripple effect of institutional pride — students, faculty, and staff started wearing the mark and identifying with the universityThe financial case for standards is real: economies of scale, reduced reinvention, and faster ROI all follow from a coherent visual systemWSU's campus has since doubled in size, and the visual identity established during this era continues to define the institution todayThe winning firm in WSU's national RFP search was just 15 blocks away — because heart and proximity matterChapters0:00 — Cold open: The national search that ended 15 blocks...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/XAIdJYrSa86eCwBHkjzqU74DZpRuHHO4pNiSQhNzVsk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jOTMz/M2UyNGRmOTg5MGEz/N2VhNDY1OTg2ODFm/NmMyMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}