New College Name and Logo Revealed, Mascot Introduced
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (WITC) will become Northwood Technical College (Northwood Tech, for short) effective August 2, 2021. The new logo and mascot designs for Northwood Tech are attached.
New Name and Logo
Following a public process for name and mascot submissions last fall, a Rebranding Leadership Task Force was created with stakeholders from both inside and outside the College to help narrow the naming options. The WITC Board of Trustees then moved forward five of the names to student focus groups in early January. For the final selection, over 750 students and staff voted, preferring the name Northwood Technical College. The WITC Board approved the new name Feb. 15, followed by a Wisconsin Technical College System Board approval on March 17.
The logo design is based on the research from the College’s 2020 market research along with feedback from the January student focus groups. The logo design carries over the WITC blue color. New elements include an “N”, as well as arrows indicating direction. Each end of the “N” also reflects a tree trunk with a small branch. The various pathways throughout the logo are meant to signify the student journey. The logo and mascot designs were developed with KW2 in Madison (the marketing agency).
The College will also keep its tagline “Experience. Success.”
Introducing the Mascot “Blaze the Bear”
The College is also introducing a mascot named “Blaze the Bear”. The name “Blaze” is short for trailblazer, giving a nod to the theme of innovation. After the Rebranding Leadership Task Force and Student Senate narrowed the submitted mascot options to three, more than 400 students voted to choose a bear as the mascot, representing themes of grit/resilience and quality. While the College does not have athletics, the mascot will be used at events, as well as regional and national skills-based competitions, such as Business Professionals of America and Skills USA.
To learn more about the rebranding background and process, go to: www.witc.edu/name-change
