NCAA - University of Kansas

U. of Kansas Standardizes Their Blue

Royal decree: KU picks its blue

Jayhawk marketing plan aims for uniform color scheme

By Terry Rombeck, Journal-World

U. of Kansas - Mascot Logo

No more feeling blue over not knowing Kansas University's official school colors.

The university made it clear with an announcement Monday: Royal blue is in. Navy blue is out.

And yes, that means the dark blue jerseys used by the football team since 2002 will hit the mothballs in favor of a lighter, brighter shade of blue that matches jerseys of other KU sports teams.

"You look around the country at major schools, and you look at what the fans and the students and the players are wearing, and it's all one color," said Jim Marchiony, an athletic department spokesman. "That's not happening at KU."

The decision to adopt an official KU blue is part a university plan to make public relations and marketing efforts more streamlined and consistent. A committee also will consider the best name to use when referring to the university and a new logo in connection with the university.

In the past, marketing director David Johnston said, KU has used blues that ranged from powder blue to midnight blue.

The new official royal blue is similar to the blue previously used on most campus communications, Johnston said. The color was changed slightly to make it technically easier to print, he said, and most people won't notice a difference.

Slightly tweaked red and yellow also were adopted.

The bigger difference will come among the groups currently using navy blue instead of royal blue, with the most visible example being the football team.

Marchiony said officials were looking into how quickly new uniforms could be ordered. The change could happen as soon as this fall, he said.

"We have told the chancellor from day one when the university picks a color and goes through the process, we'll be very supportive of that," he said. "I think the color they selected is what most people consider KU blue anyway. I imagine this will be met very positively."

Officials at the Alumni Association and Endowment Association said they expected to phase out use of navy blue as they run out of stationery, business cards and other materials.

John Scarffe, an Endowment Association spokesman, said the group had used navy blue because it was "distinguished and a little more low-key" than royal blue.

Jennifer Sanner, a spokeswoman for the Alumni Association, said research conducted showed alumni identified strongly with royal blue over navy blue.

"Clearly the emotional tie was to royal," she said. "I'm glad to see that officially proclaimed."

Johnston, the marketing director, said he hoped the designation of an official blue color would lead students and fans to eventually fill campus and athletics bleachers with blue -- the same blue.

"We want to bring back that ‘big blue' concept," he said. "KU is considered worldwide as one of the blue franchises, like the Dodgers, Cubs and IBM. KU owns royal, and now we'll be able to solidify our place."

Maggie Petersen, a KU sophomore from Houston, wasn't so sure. She said she saw nothing wrong with using navy in some cases.

"Are you serious?" she said. "What was wrong with the old blue?"

Lindsay Paulette, a graduate student from Lawrence, said she wasn't sure why the official color was necessary.

"That sounds pretty trivial to me," she said. "I think they could find more important things to spend money on, but whatever they think is important."

Staff writer Robert Riley contributed to this report.

Out with the old: Shade of blue formerly used on Kansas University's official documents.	Shade of blue used by KU Endowment Association and on some Alumni Association items.

In with the new: Shades adopted as official colors for KU by university marketing officials.

This article was taken from www.ljworld.com.  All rights reserved.