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Alumni group bashes new font

Former students launch Web site, T-shirts protesting use of Trajan on sports uniforms

By Thor Nystrom

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

A group of University of Kansas alumni upset over the Athletics Department’s decision in July to change the font of its sports teams to Trajan has started a Web site with a name clearly stating its opinion: trajansucks.com.

The decision to change the font was made after the University decided four years ago to unify the graphic identity of the school. The Athletics Department committed initially to support the University in the unification, and over the summer it was announced that Jayhawk teams would switch to Trajan font for the coming season.

Matt Kirkland and Brad Lewis, 2003 KU graduates, decided to do something about it. After exchanging e-mails with what Kirkland called “other dismayed alums,” the two decided to create a Web site and sell T-shirts in protest. Kirkland, a web designer, created the page. Lewis designed the shirts, which read “Trajan Sucks,” and came in blue and red.

“It is a well constructed font, speaking as a designer myself,” Kirkland said of Trajan. “But it is overused. It doesn’t mean anything; it doesn’t stand for anything. Certainly not our University. It doesn’t say Kansas Athletics.”

photo

Brenna Hawley

T-shirt Design by Brad Lewis

The site, created last week, offers a forum for fans to discuss the font issue.

It asks for a return to the “curling, arc-serifed typeface” that “subtly evolved into a unique symbol of Jayhawk pride.”

Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said the Athletics Department is committed to the change and he can’t foresee another change in the future.

“We have so many real issues to deal with, that Web site certainly isn’t one of them,” Marchiony said.

Marchiony said the department hasn’t received one negative e-mail about the change to the uniforms, which included a switch to Trajan font on helmets and uniforms, since the beginning of the football season.

Posters on the message board are mostly anti-Trajan.

“Trajan on the basketball jerseys is a sin. Do what you want with football, but let basketball be,” one poster wrote.

A few disagreed.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but the font is not that historical,” another person wrote. “We started wearing it in the 80’s. That’s not exactly steeped in tradition. It’s not like they’re changing the colors, or the mascot.”

This is the fourth time the football uniforms have changed since 2001. The colors were changed from royal blue to dark blue in 2002, then to “KU blue” for the 2005 season.

Marchiony said the Athletics Department would listen to dissenting views but would do what is in the best interest of the University.

“I thought the University’s respect for the athletic programs would be stronger than that,” Kirkland said of the changes. “This is too far and was done by someone that didn’t understand the history of what they were changing.”

The University switched to Trajan lettering in the summer of 2005. It paid $88,900 to LandreyMorrow, a Portland, Ore. company, to assist with the design.

Kirkland, who now lives in San Diego, said his goal is for the Athletics Department to re-think the font change in time for basketball season.

“We want to see them roll out for Late Night with the old Circus font,” Kirkland said.

— Edited by Amelia Freidline

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