Houston, Texas, May 8, 2023 – Houston Christian University (HCU) has unveiled a new logo, brand identity and messaging that solidifies its reputation as a leader in Christian education and extends its reach to attract and meet the needs of the next generation of college students.
The logo unveiled today to faculty and staff during the University’s End-of-the-Year Celebration in Belin Chapel, ushers in a new look that maintains HCU’s uncompromising commitment to its core convictions and mission to offer students a strong academic foundation grounded in historic Christian faith.
“The new Houston Christian University logo is a better description of who we are. It not only captures our new name, but illustrates visually what we strive for, that is, an understanding of how the education HCU offers is informed by our Christian faith,” said HCU President Robert Sloan.
“Education that is separated from the roots of truth, character building, reality, and faith in the one true and living God revealed through Jesus Christ is an education that falls short of its intended goal, that is, to shape our lives with wisdom so that we might be faithful participants in God’s work in the world.”
HCU embarked on rebranding the institution as a part of a 10-year growth plan aimed at increasing on-campus enrollment to 4,200 and an online student population to 5,800 over the next decade.
Guided by the University’s Executive Council, in conjunction with Carnegie, a leading reputation strategy management firm, HCU engaged faculty, staff, stakeholder groups and the community to assess the perceived strengths and weakness of the University’s brand with the aim of clearly developing and defining HCU’s personality in line with its core convictions and foundational values. The refreshing of HCU’s brand was also congruent with the University’s aim to review its market position and identity with the goal of assessing and meeting the expectations of the next generation.
After a year-long study and comprehensive research, HCU was rebranded as a Christian university that is defined as a:
1. Dignified Leader that has established itself as a frontrunner, driven by growth and delivering stability, pride, and strength through its commitment to its values and core convictions.
2. Supportive Evangelist driven by compassion, warmth and the desire to care for others while conveying a spirit of altruism, commitment and generosity that causes people to feel valued and supported.
3. Discerning Guide that is an adventurous and inquisitive trailblazer driven by the quest for discovering the unknown while delivering progress and an unmatched interest for uncovering truth causing people to feel intrigued and emboldened.
In addition to positioning HCU for innovation and growth, the new logo and brand identity pay tribute to HCU’s storied history as a faith-based educational institution committed to Christ-centered excellence.
“The Belin Tower captures the history and work of higher education as it exemplifies in its features the structures of order, tradition and beauty. The cross at the top lifts the eye to the ultimate horizon that defines who we are and what we do as seekers of truth who are made in the image of God. We are grounded in the goodness of God’s creation and in spite of the brokenness all around us, we look to the cross, which points us to the person of Christ, the one in whom the world’s hopes for restoration authentically reside,” said Dr. Sloan.
The University also worked with Carnegie to develop personality-based messaging designed to speak to key audiences, forge deep connections and inspire meaningful action while communicating HCU’s commitment to Christ-centered excellence.
In its new messaging, HCU echoes the refrain, “In All We Do,” which communicates the University’s guiding mission to glorify God and seek excellence in all things, including practicing hospitality, modeling Christ’s compassion in meeting students’ needs and preparing them to be the salt and light of the world. The new messaging also conveys HCU’s commitment to demonstrating discernment and applying Christ’s wisdom as the University equips students with intellectual curiosity, humility and judgment to navigate a complex world with confidence and clarity.
With HCU’s new logo and brand identity reveal, administrators, faculty, staff and students are committed to incorporating the University’s identity into a broad range of messaging spanning print and online content to HCU clothing and paraphernalia to social media posts and broadcast commercial spots to establish and promote the University’s refreshed brand internally and to the greater Houston market.
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ABOUT HOUSTON CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate, and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose resulting from our central confession, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.