From the brand logo to brand associations and the corporate identity: visual and identity-based logo associations in a university merger

Abstract Brand logos are a fundamental part of the corporate visual identity, and their reception has been vigorously researched. The focus on traits logo effect process, whereas little attention paid to how becomes brand. This article narrows this research gap in investigating new is evaluated, perception evolves, what underlying dimensions emerge from process. We adopted longitudinal free-association approach followed qualitative quantitative changes associations among first-year students at Aalto University as it was going through merger accompanied with radical visual-identity redesign. show faced initial resistance before became source positive brand associations, anchored university´s identity. argue that evaluations span three dimensions: they may be congruent or incongruent disposition individual toward change: preferences individual; based visuals its identity-expressing capabilities.