The Buck and Where it Stops
A few days back, Dan said:
Honestly, I think that taking two to three years to change a logo is a little slow. It seems like everybody in the A/a-dministration is incredibly worried about imposing upon webmasters. I can’t even count how many times the A/a-dministration said “don’t worry, take your time.” It is almost like an uprising is feared. The new engineering website was cited as an example of a site that is not expected to conform for quite some time. I can understand why you would not set an absolute deadline, but repeatedly emphasizing that three years is acceptable is a little unnecessary and counterproductive.
I answered him privately, but this is an issue that bears repeating in a public forum.
So. First off, I would like to state that the rumors of laying in of flack jackets, helmets, and sand bags are greatly exaggerated. While it’s true that we don’t want to incite riots on campus with these new guidelines, suggesting that an insurrection is feared is a bit intense. So I asked PDC to spec out a moat for my office. What of it?
The lack of a hard deadline for implementation of the new logo on websites isn’t about personal imposition on campus web designers. It’s about financial imposition on units. It costs money to redesign a site–whether that money is salaried or paid to a vendor of one sort or another. And it is completely unreasonable for us to demand changes that will have budgetary impacts without being able to simultaneously provide some cash to facilitate the process or allow time for the units to figure out how to finance the project on their own. Period. Full stop.
That said, VP Bruce has just reminded me of the fact that his letter on the identity site DOES, in fact, put a deadline out there. It reads:
All new communications and products related to Cornell University should now prominently display the Cornell logo. All previously existing Cornell University communications and products may continue to be used for a short term. After a transition period of one year, all units of the university will be expected to use the new Cornell logo in all of their communications.
My mistake, folks. You’ve got 344 days. Go. 
Someone else noted:
Yep, I have to agree, granted the inclusion of the new logo in various sites will take time – but 2-3 years?? That does seem like an extremely long time. At the very least, if the timeline is that long, maybe they should be asked to remove the big red box until they can add the new logo.
Naw.
The whole point of having a university identity system is so that places can–you know–identify themselves as part of the university. Personal feelings about the big red box aside (for all of us), it’s better to have an OLD identifier out there than NO identifier. Let’s not toss the baby with the bathwater, eh?
Finally, our resident agent provocateur, Adrian, has this to say with regards to the new business cards:
It is a perfectly fine business card, but I found it amusing because it apparently violates several of the style guidelines as I’ve come to understand them.
Give the guy a cookie. You’re right.
And “take it away” because the business cards have their own guildelines due to size constraints.
Adrian, your consolation prize is a new toaster and a lifetime supply of Rice-a-Roni (the San Francisco treat).
Lisa — thank you for being so forthright about this whole process. Isn’t it strange how saying “we realize that it is a big deal” is much more motivating than saying “it’s not a big deal”?
Lisa, I echo those sentiments. Your candor and lucid prose go a long way in not only placating the roiling masses, but in advancing the University’s objectives. The issue, of course, is much larger than the logo, and I hope that Cornell realizes and rewards your strengths.
I just had an interesting idea regarding the business cards. Could students order their own cards (that identified them as undergrads or graduate students in a particular major and college)? They could be useful in job search and networking situations and are much more classy than handing someone a slip of paper with a phone number or email address.
Mmm, yum. Where can I pick it up?
Interested parent, I think they actually do that for students in the Hotel Administration school and the Business School, since their studies often place them in situations where business cards would be helpful.