The University of North Dakota is moving forward in the next chapter of its transition from the Fighting Sioux to the Fighting Hawks. 

Members of UND’s Graphic Identity RFP Evaluation and Recommendation Team met Tuesday morning to discuss applicants to the university’s request for proposal (RFP) to design the new Fighting Hawks logo.

The RFP was initially issued on December 12th of last year and states the following as its objectives:

1-Create an appropriate, usable logo and graphic/brand identity package to accompany the new nickname.

2-To do this in a manner that combines professional expertise with the desire for UND stakeholder input. The structure for this input will be at the Contractor’s discretion.

3-To proceed with this process in a timely fashion to enable UND to capitalize on the use of the logo as soon as possible for the 2016 – 2017 athletic year.

Responses to the RFP were initially due on January 12, but the deadline was briefly extended by a day to accommodate an application that was delayed by weather, according to the Grand Forks Herald. A total of 16 applicants responded to the request, and Tuesday’s meeting was the first of several that will occur as the submissions are reviewed.

Members of the Graphic Identity RFP Evaluation and Recommendation Team include members of UND athletics, public affairs, Alumni association and the student body. Included as student representatives on the team are Brandon Beyer, Vitoria Faccin and Andrea Hyduke.

Tuesday’s meeting opened with a discussion of how the next steps of the designer selection process will continue. The members of the team briefly discussed the voting process for future meetings and clarified that members should recuse themselves from the process should their be a conflict of interest between themself and a potential designer.

It was determined that one member of the team, Sam Limquilst, should not serve on the team after he recognized that he had a conflict of interest with one of the designers.

16 firms initially applied to design the new logo, but it was announced at the meeting that one firm, AG Design Group Inc., will not be considered because their application was incomplete.

Susan Walton, the Vice President of University and Public Affairs and co-chair of the team, gave a brief preview on what would be covered in the meeting.

“We will determine what clarifications or additional any of you may need on the specific RFP’s that are being reviewed. We will also ask our purchasing officers the status and results of reference checks,” Walton said. “And finally we will have a discussion at specific proposals.”

After the opening discussion, the team moved to executive session, which was not open to the public. The meetings are not open to the public until after all oral presentations regarding the proposals have been heard by the team.

The team will evaluate applications based on an 100 point. Half of the total points will be allocated based on the applicant’s experience, qualifications and sample portfolio. 30 points will be assigned based on the applicant’s strategy for the UND’s graphic identity, which includes their approach to gathering community input and project schedule.

The final 20 points will be based on the cost proposal. UND did not include a specific budget for the project in the RFP.

The university administration has stated on UND’s website that opportunity for public input on the logo design will be a priority. UND’s website states: “The RFP also stipulates that the selected designer will work with UND stakeholders in developing the graphic identity. Potential designers will also be asked to describe how they would conduct that collaboration process.”

The RFP calls for the designer to be able to successfully produce a “comprehensive brand package” that includes not only the primary logo, but also secondary marks, font, a style guide and a brand usage guide.

The Graphic Identity RFP Evaluation and Recommendation Team will continue to meet over the next several weeks, with a decision on a designer expected to take place in early February. The committee will send a recommendation to President Schafer, who will make the final decision.

The RFP is available to the public at http://und.edu/news/2015/12/rfp-graphic-identity-design.cfm  . The designer applications will be available to the public following oral presentations.

Sean Cleary is the Editor-in-Chief for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]