Montgomery County Community College, commonly known as Montco or MC3, is a public community college with campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown, Pennsylvania. Its institutional logo and visual identity have evolved through at least two documented redesign efforts, most recently tied to the college’s “Montco Momentum” brand campaign launched in March 2018.
Design and History
The college’s current brand style guide, published by its marketing and communications department, documents two versions of the logo: a vertical version designated as the preferred primary lockup, and a horizontal version reserved for situations where the vertical format is impractical. The guide specifies that the primary color palette for the logo consists of Montco Red (Pantone 186) and Dark Gray (Pantone 447), with a permissible option to reverse the logo to white on Montco Red and darker backgrounds.[1]
Prior to the current identity, the college’s logo and identity system had been refreshed by the Philadelphia-area design studio art270. According to the studio’s project description, when Montgomery County Community College approached art270, its logo and identity system were “tired.” art270 revived the then-current mark with a classic typeface, producing a logo that “felt brand new,” and delivered a complete identity standards manual along with new signage, stationery, and print collateral.[2]
In 2018, the college selected the agency Aloysius Butler & Clark (AB&C) to create and promote a new brand based on recently completed market research. AB&C developed a brand mantra reflecting the college’s four “promises” to students: learning, outcomes, opportunities, and impact. The resulting brand theme, “Montco Momentum,” launched in March 2018, and the agency also updated the college’s brand style guide as part of the engagement.[3]
Separately, the college’s athletics department introduced a new Mustangs logo in May 2018, effective for the 2018-2019 athletic year. The new athletics logo featured a sleeker outline of the mustang mascot, with the main logo incorporating a shield.[4] In October 2019, the college released a new esports logo that combined elements from existing marks, featuring the Mustang head and “M” combo placed on a shield similar to the current Mustang shield logo.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The college’s official nickname is the Mustangs, and the mascot is the Mustang.[6] The athletics logo redesign was described by the college as making the mark “look much more professional” through the addition of the shield element.[4] The “Montco Momentum” brand theme, meanwhile, was built around the college’s four documented promises to students: learning, outcomes, opportunities, and impact.[3]
Typography and Design
The art270 redesign specifically involved reviving the college’s then-current mark with a classic typeface, though the specific typeface used is not identified in the studio’s project description.[2] The college’s brand style guide documents the official logo colors as Montco Red (Pantone 186) and Dark Gray (Pantone 447), with white reversal permitted on darker backgrounds.[1]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
