Past student moves Witt into future
When Witt decided to refresh the logo it had used since 2001, it could not have done better than have a former student work on the job.
Elle Brennan graduated from Witt with a Diploma in Creative Technologies in 2014 and has worked at New Plymouth’s TGM Creative as a graphic designer for two years. The 27-yearold has spent almost all her life in Taranaki – she grew up on a farmlet in the Kaitake Range – and her mum Kerry Vosseler owns Chaos Cafe´ in Brougham St, New Plymouth.
Witt asked TGM Creative to refresh the logo rather than start from scratch, and the result is a logo featuring a stylised `W` which retains the prime ingredients of the first Witt logo.
‘‘It was important to aspire to create a logo that was strong, modern, and at the same time struck the balance of retaining the Witt values and elements,’’ Elle Brennan said.
The mountain, koru, book and shield are retained, but, in Elle Brennan’s words, ‘‘delivered in a fresh new way that brings the design in line with a modern audience, the new generation of students coming to Witt’’.
She said it was a brave new step in the right direction and one she was proud to have been part of. Her logo will become one of most seen in Taranaki, and that makes her both excited and nervous.
‘‘As always, change is uncertain, so I do expect there to be a little negativity as people adjust. But I stand behind my design and Witt’s decision to bring itself into a modern light that speaks to their audience,’’ she says.
Witt chief executive Barbara George said she was pleased the redesign could be completed by a former student, and one employed by a company with whom Witt has had a long and productive relationship which ensured graduates had excellent employment opportunities.
She said the logo developed in 2001 was a classic which acknowledged the polytech’s heritage.
‘‘Elle has developed a fresh look for Witt, but it retains the essence of the former logo. It is our turangawaewae and has us looking to the future,’’ she said.