UCF ID gets a makeover

In 2006, UCF won an award for best ID card design against more than 700 other schools.

Now, five years later, UCF Card Services is revamping the original look with a new card design.

Senior graphic design major Matthew Trout is responsible for the new design, which features UCF's creed along the black background.

UCF alumnus and employee at The Spot, Landon St. Gordon,  contributed a gold Pegasus as the main point of interest. The Spot is the on-campus store that specializes in printing and design projects.

"We wanted to bring it back to the school colors," said Tammy Kidder, UCF card services manager. "We wanted it to be more identifiable for students."

The new card will now be used much like a debit card, where funds can be added online  at one of the many Knight Cash loader machines around campus or at UCF Card Services.

Previously, students had to add the money to their purse through the Card Services website then go to a kiosk to download the funds to their card.

With the new system, once your funds are downloaded on your card you will be able to access them with your PIN number nearly anywhere on campus.

The cards will begin being distributed at the transfer orientation on May 13.

Current students who would like to switch to the new design may do so for $15. Original IDs will have the same functions of the new card and students are not required to switch.

Card services will also be implementing a new online system. Knight Cash will replace the previously offline system with real time systems and can even be linked to your SunTrust account on campus.

Trout created the new card design as part of a contest in Professor Robert Reedy's Advanced Design, or ADLab, course.  Each student was responsible for coming up with a design as part of the class.

Trout got his idea for the new card when he remembered that the original sleeve of the card had the UCF Creed written on it and thought that it should be more prominent to students.

"Professor Reedy uses real life application,"  Trout said.

During Reedy's ADLab course students are assigned a client or project and use a step-by-step process to consult, design and create what their client has requested. Past projects have included launching a website, creating artwork for the Shingle Creek Hotel and statues to represent the Hard Rock.

The students treated Kidder and UCF Card Services as their client and presented their creations at the end of the semester.

"When we first saw Matt's design we really really loved it," Gordan said. "We felt that it was an embodiment of UCF on a card or as we like to call it, a key to the university."

Along with having his new design touted about by students, Trout also won a free meal plan for a year.

Trout, Gordon and Kidder all agreed that the original design was type heavy, so Gordon added a gold gradient Pegasus as the focal point on the card.

"We wanted to keep in sync with UCF Marketing's theme of a physical Pegasus to accompany the University's logo. The Pegasus is a vessel that carried heroes to greatness in mythology — the perfect symbol for UCF," Gordon said. "We added the Pegasus on the card and gave it a gold gradient to make it stand out as an effective design element."

Kidder said that Trout was open-minded and easy to work with.

"He was very easy and open to suggestions," Kidder said.

Gordon, who graduated last year with degrees in interdisciplinary studies, film marketing and mass communications, currently works for the card office and for The Spot.

With his background knowledge of the card systems and printers, Gordon was able to help adjust the card for print.

"He was really able to help with what the right size was for both the graphics and type,"  Trout said.