This Mindset Is How We End up With a Bad F'NHawks Logo

First, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Second, I believe designing the next logo for the University of North Dakota is going be an important step in whether people accept the new nickname or continue to boo it.

Joe Sando, Grand Forks --- OK, here's where I'm coming from: The Walt Disney/Chuck Jones School of Logo Design. Yeah, I made that up, but they did great logos.

Walt designed University of Oregon's Duck (Puddles by name), and that's a hell of a brand. Walt and Chuck knew a lot about having fun; why can't we do that?

I really think we need to appeal to the perceptions of young fans and children. They are the next generation of fans.

So, I think the Hawk logo should have a smile. A scowling hawk—all beak and talons—is very menacing. But a hawk with a smile, a twinkle in his eye, still can be very aggressive in an animated way but is less threatening to the young.

Maybe the logo should be able to come alive and become a mascot, a student-in-costume a la the San Diego Chicken?

I think whatever the design ultimately becomes, it should not close out the possibilities to be all these other things.

I am troubled when I read this: We don't need a cute or a smiling logo. UND needs a logo that oozes power and strength. A hawk is a bird of prey. I would hope that a new logo is intimidating logo and aggressive. I am also tired of hearing we can't do that, because the NCAA won't like it. I am sick and tired of this political correctness.

Finally, UND fans need something that they can get behind. I am dead serious. Blow the logo design process and you're going to do more damage than good.