“University Seal & Motto; University Coat of Arms” collection, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston IL

          The seal of Northwestern has seen many revisions and renditions over the past century and a half. What is most commonly accepted amongst all renditions is the school motto: “Whatsoever things are true” and also “the word... full of grace and truth”. Specifically looking at "The word... full of grace and truth", it comes from the Holy Bible and is written in Greek. This is a classical language and is fitting to be used in a seal for such a prestigious university. Classical languages are used commonly to reflect prestige, power, and timelessness. Even the verse "whatsoever things are true" is written in Latin, another utilization of the classical themes.

          Another well thought out feature of the seal was the font and typeface that the seal would be written in. The typeface used served to strengthen readability and reflect and embody the character of Northwestern University. Goudy was the classic, timeless, and flexible typeface chosen. Designed in 1914 by Frederic Goudy, it has earned the reputation of being one of the most popular fonts ever created. Goudy was born in Illinois and began designing typefaces in Chicago in 1897. It was said that the Goudy typeface emerged from the same historical and cultural foundation as Northwestern and it reflected Midwestern values: “it’s straightforward and had an unpretentious character.” The designers even liked the shape of the N, R, and W letterforms, which made it a good choice for Northwestern. Almost every feature of the seal was eventually reset in Goudy to improve its readability as a wordmark.

Bibliography

1. “University Seal & Motto; University Coat of Arms” collection, Northwestern University Archives, Evanston IL