Imagine the challenge. In one graphic symbol, the MIT I.D. Team was charged with capturing the Institute's legacy of innovation in science and technology... its landmark developments in economics and management... its pioneering strides in the arts... its dedication to creating solutions to world problems.
If the challenge was intimidating, so were the stakes. More people will see the logo—on MIT business cards, letterheads, publications, and websites—than any other single description or representation of the Institute.
Like most successful research teams at MIT, the I.D. Team worked intensely—through a process of inquiry, analysis, and collaboration. They met with hundreds of people—students, faculty and staff, alumni and alumnae, journalists, high school students, and incoming freshmen. They talked to group after group about MIT's image in the world and how it might be represented. And they worked closely with designers to determine how best to translate those core qualities into one bold, identifiable logo.
The outcome of the design process was not just a stylized monogram, but a metaphor for MIT.
The logo was designed to be straightforward, like MIT, with solid letterforms that reflect the Institute's history of achievement. And it reflects the innovation and surprise that are constant features of this place. In addition, it is designed to be versatile, as effective and readable on a baseball cap as it is on a web page.
As much as any one symbol can, the new MIT logo embodies the depth, breadth, and diversity of the Institute. And the more we use it, the more powerful it will grow as a symbol of who we are.
— John R. Curry
Executive Vice President
— William J. Mitchell
Dean, School of Architecture and Planning
— Kathryn A. Willmore
Vice President and Secretary of the Corporation
The MIT I.D. sponsor team
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