UNC ditches Old Well logo. Here’s how much it’s paying for the branding refresh
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UNC spent nearly $600,000 on rebrand, hiring Two x Four for $317,106.
- University will replace multiple symbols with the interlocking NC, cutting logos 94%.
- Digital rollout due Feb 28; printed and signage updates may extend to Jun 30.
UNC-Chapel Hill is expected to pay nearly $600,000 for the recent branding refresh that dropped the Old Well logo, public records obtained by The News & Observer show.
The interlocking NC logo, once primarily used for athletics, now represents the entirety of the university. That decision didn’t come cheap. The branding firm Two x Four charged the university $317,106 for a rebranding project that addressed the logo and other visual elements as well as slogans and other messaging. The price of redoing all campus signage and website iconography is slated to come in at $278,000.
The university has many different symbols associated with it: the ram, the well, the blue-heeled foot, the interlocking NC, just to name a few. By using only the interlocking NC, the number of logo files in regular use will be reduced by 94%, according to an internal presentation by Adrienne King, UNC’s associate vice chancellor for marketing. Now, “the entire institution will speak with a single voice and visual identity,” a statement from the university reads.
To make that vision a reality, UNC-Chapel Hill is spending more than double what the overarching UNC System said it spent to revamp its logo a decade ago, a project that cost about $250,000. Still, the project is significantly cheaper than the $1 million branding overhaul UNC Health underwent in 2020.
Through a public records request, The N&O also obtained internal presentations and purchase orders concerning the new branding strategy, dubbed “First. And For All.” The purchase order for Two x Four included fees for discovery and analysis, campaign strategy and brainstorming, and travel for “campus immersion” and a meeting with Chancellor Lee Roberts. The costs outlined in the records don’t include any potential media buys, such as billboards and social media ads.
The new logo “reflects the people and state we serve, leverages existing brand strength, unifies across the university, streamlines the logo system, increases digital accessibility and legibility, [and] stands out amongst peer universities,” the presentation reads. Plus, “a unified brand strategy drives additional T&L [trademark and licensing] revenue.”
In the internal presentation, the university relays key results and quotes from interviews Two x Four conducted. UNC provided the firm with a contact list of stakeholders: primarily alumni, but also parents, leadership, staff, undergraduate and graduate students, board members and members of the public. In total, Two x Four interviewed 80 people and surveyed more than 7,400. Some highlights from these anonymized stakeholder interviews include:
- “From the state perspective, we need to be demystified — we are not hippies on a hill. We are of and for the state.”
- “Carolina has that passion. People love being there. They love coming back, warts and all.”
- “Ever since Silent Sam, our messaging has been defensive in nature.”
- “One of our best marketing vehicles is our commitment to excellence in athletics.”
- “People are stunned by the number of our donors, but donors are not giving to their capacity.”
- “People don’t need convincing to love UNC; they need reassurance they have access to it.”
Silent Sam, a Confederate statue, stood on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus from its dedication in 1913 until protesters tore it down in 2018. Once down, questions arose over what to do with it, as state law prohibited the statue from being removed. It was given to the Sons of Confederate Veterans at one point as a part of a now-voided settlement.
Gary Kayye, an advertising professor at UNC, sees the logo switch as a shrewd move. And coming from a career in tech advertising, the $600,000 price tag doesn’t faze him, he said.
“You have to really be an insider to even know what the well references,” Kayye said. “It was kind of a great idea to pick the interlocking NC because it says exactly what we are. We’re kind of lucky that another university in North Carolina didn’t steal it.”
It makes sense to identify the university by its athletics logo, Kayye argued, as athletics is of increasing importance to the university’s identity and bottom line.
“This is a great time to do this, like perfect timing,” he said. “Athletics used to just be college sports. Now it’s entertainment.”
This most recent branding change is hardly the first time UNC has invested big in its image. Last year, The N&O found that the university paid nearly $1 million in public-relations services from July 2024 to October 2025.
Some social media commenters reacting to the branding change balk at the idea that the Old Well is too esoteric to represent the entirety of the university, and find it indicative that athletics is eclipsing academics at Chapel Hill.
“Apparently I’m at a sports program that just has a university as a side hustle,” commented one Instagram user.
“Bring back the elegance of the well!” commented another.
The Old Well isn’t put out to pasture entirely, according to the records. The school is retaining the trademark and the well will be used for key events and milestones. For everything else, the interlocking NC will be deployed.
The university plans to have all websites and digital materials updated with the new logo by Feb. 28. For printed material and campus signage, the overhaul may take until Jun. 30.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 6:00 AM.
