By: James Kim

Recently, students have been struck by the rumors of a visual identity manual which may take away their freedom and opportunity to use the school mascot, logo, and name to design school clothing, posters, and other student produced materials.

The truth is that everyone, including both teachers and students, will have to follow the “GSIS Visual Identity Manual” starting this year. With the school enforcing this new guideline, many students have been asking what the policy is and why it’s enforced. To clarify this mystifying new policy, Mrs. Jeannie Lee, the Director of Development and Public Relations, was more than eager to explain in further detail. She first explained that the Visual Identity Manual is purely a step by step guideline that will help people use the school logo correctly. She then emphasized that the prime reason for the promotion of the new rule is to establish a sense of organized branding, and “unification.”

Previously, students have been free to use the school logo for design purposes but there has been a growing concern regarding this freedom: a lack of organized branding. In the past when there was no guideline for designing school related clothes, many student athletes noticed and complained that their team uniforms, hoodies, and jackets were not “professional” looking when compared to those of other schools.

To improve and polish the school’s level of organization, Mrs. Lee constructed the manual on December of 2011 and informally implemented it on April of 2012.

Regarding this new guideline, some students have been worried and concerned that the school is restricting and depriving their freedom and creativity to design school clothing, posters, and other materials. Mrs. Lee explained that the goal of this promotion is not to “restrict” student’s creativity in any way but to simply help the school community and provide a sense of identity and uniformity.

Looking back to the previous student designs, Mrs. Lee said that some designs have been professional and respectful to the guidelines while others have taken too much artistic liberty, leading to a point where no one can recognize the school logo. Although the Visual Identity Manual might seem like an artistic suppression, Mrs. Lee explained that it is something necessary and needed for the improvement of the school’s future. As long as the students use the certain fonts, designs, and the five colors (white, black, pantone cool gray 9, pantone 116, and pantone 269), they can still design freely.

Regarding the student concerns about the new guideline, Mrs. Lee made a final statement: “This isn’t about making people follow a rule that they don’t want to follow but it’s just to help them represent the school better.”