Friends of NWTC Magazine Friends Fall 2019 | Page 4

READY
TO SOAR
New logo and tagline
align with College brand
Already nationally-recognized for student success
and locally-respected for affordable, flexible
education, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
is shining a light on its less touted attributes—
and it all starts with a fresh logo and tagline.
As Codey Gerarden sat in his Intro to Ethics class one
April day, an unexpected thing happened.
Gerarden, who was in his last semester of the Prototype
and Design program at the time, found himself fighting back
tears as his instructor talked about frequent words spoken
at hospice – phrases like “I love you,” “thank you,” “I forgive
you” and “please forgive me.”
Later that day on social media, Gerarden, of Gerarden
Fabrication and Design LLC, shared his experience and its
personal impact on him.
“My perspective of what a successful life looks like changed
immediately upon hearing this,” Gerarden wrote.
Transformative moments like Gerarden’s are common at
NWTC. Every day students realize their potential, discover
their true passion and – like Gerarden – look at their lives
differently. Yet, prospective students and area residents
may not fully appreciate NWTC as a place to help individuals
achieve their personal and professional aspirations.
That is about to change.
NWTC recently updated its logo and tagline to reflect the
College’s ability to inspire and transform lives not only with
hands-on education, but with its lesser-known offerings like
four-year transfer opportunities and degrees in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.
“My perspective of
what a successful life
looks like changed...”
CODEY GERARDEN
Prototype and Design graduate
Gerarden, pictured working on a lemonade stand with his son,
was recently named one of Woodworking Network Magazine’s
40 under 40 award winners.
“The future expectations of our students are changing the face
of higher education,” NWTC President Dr. Jeff Rafn said. “Our
role at NWTC is to help them shape their story and prepare with
purpose. We have undergone a significant shift in our facilities
and our programs to meet the needs of our students and
our community through technology, flexibility, and workforce
demand. Amidst these changes, we wanted to change the
College’s logo and tagline in a way that reflected the ever
evolving NWTC experience and journey of our students.”
Erica Plaza, director of NWTC Marketing and Web Services,
echoed Rafn’s vision for the College.
“NWTC is passionate, smart, transformative, bold, and student
centered,” Plaza said. “Simply put, we are dedicated to helping
our students soar higher.”
NEW LOGO SYMBOLIZES STRENGTH,
CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS
Created in spring 2019 by the NWTC Marketing graphic
design team, with input from NWTC faculty, staff, students
and community members, the new logo is already printed on
T-shirts, signs and marketing materials and published on the
College website.
The logo rollout came at the perfect time, according to Plaza.
“NWTC is ready to meet students where they are with regard
to workforce demands, technology and flexibility,” Plaza said.
“What better way to show the community and our students than
to modernize our brand to reflect our goals.”
AFTER REVEAL
BEFORE REVEAL
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