Sorry, marketers, but I am not your brand

Although I agree that marketing can go too far, I must take issue with the idea that academics do not need a house style. I was a member of a research group in the 1980s where one of our number created the university badge in a predecessor of Powerpoint. This gave us a house style that put us in a different league at conferences to the rag-tag collection of presentation styles from others. It did help that we were a world-leading group but I have never understood why my colleagues have such a problem with all of our documents looking professional. It does not prevent one placing good material within the common framework and is something we accept from academic journals all the time. I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of academic life but do recognise that my university is my employer and as such has some right to direct me in some aspects of my working life.

@msl_csp Thanks for your comment on the article. It's not a question of professionalism vs "shabbiness", however. Indeed, I would argue that the current University of Nottingham logo is far from the most professional or aesthetically striking; its blue gradient background means that it doesn't blend with anything and looks like it's been screen-grabbed-and-cropped into a presentation. In other words, the corporate identity guidelines mean that, in my opinion, we look less professional. The UoN logo that we had prior to the current version was much, much better. "...but I do recognise that my university is my employer and as such has some right to direct me in some aspects of my working life." The marketing team is not the university; the academics, students, researchers, administrative staff, technicians etc..., collectively, are the university. More broadly, where do you draw the line as to how you should be directed? Should the university dictate the content of your lectures, choose your research themes, and/or veto what you say publicly? What role does academic freedom play? Best wishes, Philip

Up top: "it is arrogant for academics to dismiss out of hand the key contributions of their marketing colleagues" In the comments: "The marketing team is not the university" "I would argue that the current University of Nottingham logo is far from the most professional or aesthetically striking....In other words, the corporate identity guidelines mean that, in my opinion, we look less professional." Sounds rather like you're dismissing your marketing team's contributions out of hand to me.

@stacuk Thank you for that clarification. You said it much more pithily than I could manage! Philip