As the LTER Network moves forward with a new web site and an invigorated public presence, a new logo can offer a stronger sense of the Network’s purpose and scientific mission. It offers a chance to freshen our image in the minds of some of our major stakeholders and forms the basis for the design aesthetic of the new LTER Network web site, coming this fall.
Logos redesigns can be difficult. It’s extraordinarily hard to capture the soul of an organization (particularly one as diverse as the LTER Network) in a single image, but it was time for an update. Working with a professional design team, the Network Communications Office developed a variety of options for the LTER Executive Board to consider and also sought input from across the LTER community. We received over 280 responses to our survey, many with thoughtful and insightful comments.
In the end, we didn’t choose any one of the logos offered in the survey. Rather, we tried to incorporate the intent of the most frequent types of response. The LTER community wanted a logo that felt as warm and inviting as we try to be; that incorporated elements of both science and time; that said ecological research, not technological research…and that didn’t suggest a telecommunications company.
The new LTER Network logo—as approved by the LTER executive board and NSF—is shown below. We truly appreciate all the thoughtful and constructive input from the Network. The NCO will begin incorporating it into materials and web sites gradually, with the major shift happening later this fall.
