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CMU unveils new visual identity: built on tradition, bold for the future
The new CMU identity: “...a visual expression of a university moving ahead with clarity and courage, remaining deeply grounded in the faith, learning, and pursuit of peace-justice that endures and continues to shape our story.”
CMU has unveiled a new visual identity that reflects its deep roots in the Anabaptist tradition while boldly articulating its vision for the future. The refreshed identity features a new logo, a renewed colour palette, and a modern design system that will be integrated across campus, digital platforms, and publications in the coming months.
The rebrand comes as CMU celebrates its 25th anniversary as a university. "This is more than a new logo," said Dr. Cheryl Pauls, CMU President. "It offers a visual expression of a university moving ahead with clarity and courage, remaining deeply grounded in the faith, learning, and pursuit of peace-justice that endures and continues to shape our story."
This new visual identity is both grounded and forward-looking. At the heart of the logo is a dynamic flame icon, symbolizing transformation and purpose.
"The flame captures something essential: the spark of knowledge, the light of hope and peace, the warmth of community," says Sandy Koop Harder, Vice-President External, "It is a reminder that CMU is not only a place of learning, but a place where lives and livelihoods of purpose are kindled and nourished into action."
The refreshed colour palette includes greens that speak to growth and rootedness, warm yellows and oranges that evoke energy, curiosity, and awakening. Typography choices blend tradition and modernity, with Antonia and Public Sans providing clarity and elegance across digital and print platforms.
Paired with the vibrant colour system and a refreshed visual voice, the identity invites students, alumni, and community partners to "expect more."
- Expect to be known and to be academically challenged
- Expect learning that connects disciplines, people, and purpose
- Expect a community shaped by curiosity, courage, and compassion
The updated brand is the result of an extensive process of listening and collaboration. With guidance from Winnipeg-based and award-winning design firm Tétro Design, CMU engaged students, alumni, faculty, staff, board members, and community partners through surveys, focus groups, and consultation sessions.
Insights from these groups were distilled into three themes:
- Celebrate academic excellence – CMU faculty are gifted teachers—they are also learned scholars, mentors, and guides. Their research is thoughtful and engaged, and their teaching is personal, challenging, and transformative. CMU's unique blend of rigorous academics, deep community connection, and theological grounding demands to be proclaimed.
- Stay true to CMU's distinctive identity – CMU's Anabaptist roots are not static. They call us to peace in the face of violence, to community in the face of fragmentation, and to dialogue in the face of polarization. This is not to guard tradition, but to live it, with dynamic, hopeful invitation.
- Be bold – The world needs to know CMU offers an education that forms people not just for careers, but for courageous lives that disrupt injustice, build bridges across difference, and imagine new possibilities in the world with hope and love.
"From the beginning, this project was never just about updating a logo," said Sandy Koop Harder, Vice-President External. "It's about honouring our rich legacy and crafting a bold, compelling way to share our story – one that resonates now and inspires future generations."
The new identity will be rolled out in stages, beginning with digital platforms and core communications this fall, followed by updates to campus signage and publications in the months ahead.
"This is more than a brand refresh," added Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Marketing and Communications. "It's a bold invitation to current and future students, alumni, and partners to engage with a university that is vibrant, responsive, and alive to possibility. As represented by the stylized U in the logo, CMU is moving forward—with imagination, momentum, and a clear invitation to expect more."
For media inquires, contact:
Kevin Kilbrei
Director, Marketing and Communications
kkilbrei
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