A new look for Bethany

From Bethany MagazineWinter 2024

With this edition of the Bethany Magazine, We are debuting a new institutional logo. Bethany’s current logo has been in use since 1997, and for several years the College has been exploring concepts for a new logo.

Bethany’s current, familiar logo tells a complex story that is personal to our history and mission. The design features a picturesque hilltop setting where a chapel stands boldly in the context of a Norwegian flag. However, due to the highly detailed design of the current logo, it has proven to be impractical for practical applications in certain situations.

The primary purpose of a logo is to be easily identifiable. All you have to do is think of logos of large, global companies and you’ll understand the idea of ​​a quick identifier.

Over the course of a multi-year process, hundreds of directions and variations of a new Bethany logo were considered with input from students, alumni, professional designers, and Lutheran artists from a variety of fields. Bethany students, starting five years ago in 2019, helped develop the concepts around the new look.

During the design process, Bethany students and the Alumni Board met to discuss what should be in a new logo. They quickly decided that the college’s identity should be expressed in written and spoken form as ‘Bethany’.

Everyone involved in the process of creating the new logo also understood that the updated version might not be able to tell as detailed and personal a story as the previous logo and still remain simple and recognizable. A usable logo should be easy to understand and quick to remember.

Ultimately, the focus when designing the new Bethany logo was on simplicity and clarity, with the following core concepts:

1. The cross is prominently featured and immediately identifies Bethany as a Christ-focused organization.

2. The Lutheran name is displayed in a striking manner.

3. The whole has a contemporary look that embodies the spirit of a youthful organization, mixed with rich historical elements, while the cross references previous logos.

4. The “B” at the beginning and the “y” at the end are designed to indicate the
looking ahead to what lies ahead as we continue to grow and progress through our mission in “The One Thing Needful.”

In the coming months, you will see the new logo in various Bethany applications, but in order to implement the change in a cost-neutral way, the new Bethany logo will be phased in over the next few years. Stationery and other items will transition to the new logo after old stocks are depleted.

Halvar, the Bethany Viking mascot (and associated athletic logos), and the timeless college seal with the Greek “One Thing is Needful” remain cherished identifiers of Bethany. This is in keeping with a standard practice for colleges to have a mascot, an official seal, and a professional institutional logo for business and marketing purposes.