Symbol
THE CROWN OF ASCLEPIUS
Old Dominion University’s iconic crown logo symbolizes a tradition of excellence rooted in royalty. While the institution’s mark will remain unchanged, the joining of Old Dominion and Eastern Virginia Medical School to create the most comprehensive health sciences center in the commonwealth, represented a rare opportunity to explore the creation of a new logo to better represent the focus and prestige of the two institutions.
Our symbol combines two distinct elements, ODU’s iconic crown and the Rod of Asclepius.
Depicted as a rod with a single serpent entwined about it, the Rod of Asclepius (pronounced uh-sklee-pee-uhs) is the traditional symbol of scientific medicine. It was wielded in Greek mythology by the god Asclepius, a deity closely associated with medicine and healing. In contrast, the caduceus, depicted with two snakes and two wings and carried by the Greek god Hermes, also may be seen in a medical context although it is a symbol of commerce.
The incorporation of the Rod of Asclepius into the Monarch Crown represents the integration of EVMS into Old Dominion University and emphasizes Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University’s goal to advance academic medicine, spur innovative research, and improve the health and well-being of our communities.
The logo for the new health sciences center seamlessly combines Old Dominion’s iconic crown with the Rod of Asclepius. The snake looks right, which can be interpreted as ‘east,’ in recognition of the institution’s location — a preeminent destination for health education, clinical research, and healthcare delivery.
The crown-only spirit mark is intended for informal use, including on social media. It is generally to be used in conjunction with the full primary identity. Permission must be granted by Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Marketing & Communications at Old Dominion University or Old Dominion Division of University Communications to use the mark on its own. As with the primary and secondary identities, the spirit mark is trademarked and should not be used to create new art or logos.
Wordmark
Our primary wordmark is consistent with ODU’s branding, with identical tracking, capitalization, and proportional letter sizing. The ampersand, rather than the word “and,” should always be used between the Brocks’ first names.
Proportions
Our brand architecture is complex, with numerous entities under the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University umbrella. To ensure visual balance and consistency, every element (with very few exceptions) is sized relative to the width of the brand symbol.
The “Crown of Asclepius” is the smallest width a brand element can be. The “Virginia Health Sciences” wordmark is the largest a brand element can be. The width ratio is 1:4. All other elements fall within this range at either 1, 2, 3 or 4 times the width of the brand symbol.
Spacing
To ensure that all lockups are legible and clear, the spacing of brand elements is critical. With brand elements proportionally sized, the tip of the “Crown of Asclepius” (which we will refer to as the “jewel”) guides the spacing of each element.
The largest space between elements is the symbol and accompanying wordmarks in the stacked lockup. This gap is 1.5 “jewels.” All other elements have a spacing equal to one “jewel.”
Alignment
For horizontal lockups in which the wordmark does not exceed the height of the “Crown of Asclepius,” the wordmark is middle-aligned with the brand symbol.
For horizontal lockups in which the wordmark does exceed the height of the “Crown of Asclepius,” the wordmark is aligned to the top of the “jewel” of the brand symbol.
Color
Color variations include the two-color use, which is consistent with Old Dominion’s logo guidance, as well as black and white logos and a single-color option in Monarch Blue.
Full color
1-color - Monarch Blue
Black
White
