Philipps University of Marburg: New design unveiled before the anniversary!

Philipps University of Marburg: New design unveiled before the anniversary!

The Philipps University of Marburg presented a new corporate design today, June 5, 2025. This new look comes just two years before the university's 500th anniversary. University President Prof. Dr. Thomas Nauss emphasizes how important it is to combine tradition and contemporary positioning in order to strengthen the university for the future. The new design will be gradually implemented in all media channels to ensure that the university can also communicate effectively in the digital space uni-marburg.de reported.

Vice President Prof. Dr. Evelyn Korn explains that the need for this revision resulted from 20 years of use of the previous design, which no longer met today's digital and global demands. To support the correction, a comprehensive university-wide survey was conducted. The new design is based on the university seal from 1916, which has been redrawn and simplified. It now presents itself as a word-image brand that ensures clarity and cultural identity in communication. The official name remains “Philipps University of Marburg”, but this is reduced to “University of Marburg” in the logo, which makes international use easier.

Design elements of the new design

A special innovation is the introduction of the English variant “Marburg University”. Additionally, the design system will utilize the circular shape of the seal, which represents continuity and connections. The guiding color will continue to be blue, but in a lighter tone, which will be complemented by additional colors that can be combined in a barrier-free manner. The new Noto Sans font meets high accessibility standards and will be used throughout all communications.

The simple design principles and modular structures of the new corporate design are intended to make implementation easier. To support this, the university offers an online portal where information and assistance for applying the design guidelines are available. The design is made transparent for users and is already visible on the website. The systematic transfer of the new design is currently being worked out, as the university states in its announcement.

City of Marburg follows suit

In parallel with Philipps University, the city of Marburg has also introduced a new corporate design. The university town's magistrate decided in December 2023 to establish a new word-image brand, which was presented for the first time at the New Year's reception in January 2024. This new design replaces the city logo from 2008, while the historic city coat of arms from 1895 remains untouched. The old logo no longer met digital communication requirements and accessibility standards. The new brand was designed to be versatile, both analogue and digital.

The development of the new market form was carried out as part of a collaboration between a municipal project group and the Werkraum 56 agency. The new word-image brand integrates striking elements such as the Landgrave's Castle and the Lahn, as well as the words “The University City”. In the future, the coat of arms and the city logo will be more visually and functionally separated from each other. An application manual for the new corporate design is currently being created to ensure compliance with the new standards, and the entire process has cost 35,115 euros, as marburg.de reported.

A central goal of these new developments by both institutions is to promote accessibility. In accordance with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the focus is on access to information for people with disabilities. Such efforts, which are also at the tu-chemnitz.de include guidelines for fonts, colors and the use of alternative forms of communication. These measures aim to promote the inclusive participation of all city and university citizens.