University of California introduces a modern logo

http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_22141280/university-california-introduces-modern-logo

by fam • 14 years ago

23 45 14 years ago

geetarista2• 14 years ago

Wow, that looks terrible.

byoung2• 14 years ago

The survey widget says 96% prefer the old logo to the new one. I couldn't find anywhere on the UC website that referred to the new logo. Is this official, or just a proof of concept?

geetarista2• 14 years ago

Seems pretty official: http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/

cleverjake• 14 years ago

http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/ http://research.universityofcalifornia.edu/ http://vimeo.com/universityofcalifornia

all use the new logo

duaneb• 14 years ago

That is what I would consider an atrocious logo. Who did they test this against?

DrJ• 14 years ago

it just looks like the wait spinner in Android stuck in a baby-blue tarp...

Honestly who came up with this idea.

droithomme• 14 years ago

Awful. Simply awful.

carsongross• 14 years ago

Your tax dollars at work, Californians.

jbyers• 14 years ago

They will revert. I'll put money on it. Who's in?

hyperbovine• 14 years ago

Not me. It's hideous.

mhartl• 14 years ago

You're in agreement with the parent comment. "Who's in?" means, "Who's in on the bet that they will revert the logo [because it's hideous]?" (We're all in agreement, of course. This new logo is the seventeenth sign of the Apocalypse.)

rileyt• 14 years ago

It would be really embarrassing if they didn't revert. I'm in.

nicklovescode• 14 years ago

Waiting for the new logo to fully load, all I see is a slow yellow loading gif.

justjohn• 14 years ago

That logo reminds me of the first time I figured out how to make gradients in Photoshop. It wasn't good then, and it isn't good now.

B-Con• 14 years ago

I went to UC.

Need to stock up on my alumni clothing before this hits the stores. Bleh.

jerrya• 14 years ago

Did they pay some logo consultant over six figures for that?

Did they run a competition for student and professor entries at their various schools?

It does look nicer than the DeVry shield it pays homage to. http://www.gmkfreelogos.com/logos/D/img/DeVry_Education_Shie...

munger• 14 years ago

Wow, was there a contest to top the London 2012 Olympics logo for worst logo ever?

epa• 14 years ago

Just terrible. I hate to see this new trend of creating these new logos. It reminds me of Web 2.0. The old logo is beautiful and timeless.. this new logo is just.. ah.

Their new slogan tops the cake: "Whether you know it or not, the University of California, or a UC grad, has probably played a part in your day."

eungyu2• 14 years ago

If the aim was to design something modern and minimalistic , the fading gradient at the end of letter 'C' somewhat destroys the point. Clear boundaries would improve the clarity and enhance applicability (on stationaries, prints, etc). I don't mind going modern, but they should do it well with clear purpose.

Danieru• 14 years ago

That's a 'C'? I though it was a loading spinner!

tbourdon• 14 years ago

Best part about this is the link to my home town newspaper. I used to deliver the Enterprise Record every afternoon on my bike after school. Yes, in the 70s the Enterprise Record was an afternoon paper.

wildgift• 14 years ago

huge fn waste of money when the system is starving (or being starved by the inflated administration). don't the big bosses know this is a SOCIALIST UNIVERSITY SYSTEM and should just stick with the "good enough" cheap logo to keep tuition more affordable?

of course not... because they're eager to sell out the people to the banksters. instead of creating a political push for more funds from the state, they are pushing to get more private donations. it's the wrong way to go.

weixiyen• 14 years ago

lol

seanlinehan2• 14 years ago

As a UC Berkeley student who has a passion for design, I can honestly say that the UC system has made a mistake here. Though I imagine this is probably the popular opinion.

However, I attempted to figure out what the symbolism in the logo was supposed to be. Disregarding the "fresh, hip, and modern" style that they were going for, I can definitely see how this could have been pitched. From my analysis, the U is supposed to subtly be shaped as a book and the C is supposed to be a loading sign... It's symbolically loading knowledge.

Regardless of the symbolism, my opinion is that it is painfully ugly and not representative of the UC system. If the regents were democratic, I would definitely vote to throw it out.

Edit: I didn't actually see the associated video before posting. [1] At least the book symbolism shined through without knowing that first. That's one plus, I suppose.

[1] http://vimeo.com/53530934

christiangenco• 14 years ago

This looks like something made by a ten year old who just learned photoshop.

If this actually catches on, I'll eat my hat, but from where I'm standing it's one of the worst logos I've ever seen. It's unclear in meaning and borders, uses gradients poorly, and isn't balanced.

knowtheory• 14 years ago

The gradient is what kills it for me.

Is it supposed to represent a buffer, spinning away as you shovel tuition in until you can load "the real world"? :P

mynameisvlad• 14 years ago

Yeah, the single color versions they had in the video look much, much nicer.

dannygarcia• 14 years ago

Brand New did a review on the new logo that brings some more insight and perspective [1]. Here's an interesting note:

Basically, the previous wordmark could have not even existed and no one would have complained.

1. http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/ic_uc_we...

sown• 14 years ago

It's possible to have an emblem for a stately, revered and old institution that looks modern, looks good in print but not so...well, saccharine-y silly looking.

Consider the French government logo:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_de_la_R%C3%A9publique...

vineel• 14 years ago

Reminds me of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Major_League_Baseball.svg

supersaiyan• 14 years ago

This seems like deja vu, University of Waterloo was also trying to modernize its logo, didn't go to well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lF1YfYOumM of course a Hitler interpretation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHLKp3lwdK0

Instead of replacing everything, the new logo is used only for advertising materials, while the old logo remains on the diplomas.

p.s the new logo looked horrible once it was introduced, but a year later most people don't mind it; though it left a really bad impression on the student body as the university decided to pretty much ignore the popular opinion

pew pew

carbocation• 14 years ago

I don't know; the Waterloo logo looks like something that might quickly become dated, and lacks the elegance of a classic logo, but certainly captures an element of a modern electronica influence.

In contrast, the UC system's logo actually has some thoughtful elements (the book leaves forming the 'U') that are executed inartfully.

Or, to mince fewer words: Waterloo's new logo looks less ugly to me, circa 2012, than does UC's.

tapp• 14 years ago

Seems to be going around. Stanford did something similar just recently as well:

http://www.change.org/petitions/stanford-university-bring-ba...

joejohnson• 14 years ago

This is so fucking terrible. The fact that UCs will now have this awful logo makes me a little sad.

As a side note, that video is really stupid. It seems like they're trying to show how the new logo evolved form the old logo, but in the video they handwave away all the old parts and then trace around the book in the center, but only use one random edge of the book shape. WTF? Why even pretend that's where the top edge of the new logo came from. this whole thing is a disaster. Seriously. What the fuck.

bryanjclark• 14 years ago

When this was announced a few weeks ago, the University of California added this comment to their Vimeo account:

"Thank you again for all your thoughtful comments and feedback. To clarify: this new visual approach DOES NOT replace the historic UC systemwide seal. We love the seal. The seal will still be used in all formal systemwide communications, on diplomas, official regental and presidential communications, and other formal applications.

"The two symbols serve very distinct roles. To preserve their gravitas, many of our campuses, and other universities across the country have limited use of their official seals in similar ways. It also does not replace the individual identities of each of our UC campuses. It gives our campuses and others a simple, distinct way to reference the system as a whole.

"We looked at many different solutions, but felt that building off the seal was a great way to honor our history, while also pointing to our strong tradition of pioneering innovation. We’ve done considerable testing on the overall approach, and have generally heard very positive feedback."

---

To me, the new logo looks cheap and flashy, instead of timeless. Universities are some of the only long-lasting institutions that we have, and this new visual style has zero life in it.

Someday, we'll look back at this logo like we look back at bellbottom jeans and denim jackets.

nwh• 14 years ago

They're going to struggle to get that printed on anything. Yellow on blue is just asking for muddy colors.

philwebster• 14 years ago

It's a shame seeing such an interesting historic logo get replaced with one that has little personality and uniqueness. Something similar to the Starbucks logo redesign might have been more appropriate, keeping the idea of the original logo but refining and simplifying to make it more modern.

eungyu2• 14 years ago

couldn't agree more

aresant• 14 years ago

Simplistic logos are so easy to pan mercilessly & dismiss, and as a UC grad that was my first instinct too.

But a quote on one of the subsequent sites in the comments (from UC's creative director) makes their case:

"Previously, the UC system only used its seal as its primary visual identifier, where it was abused with impunity. . . this is less of a rebranding exercise, but instead the creation of a coherent, consistent, and relevant brand identity where before there was none."

This actually makes sense to me.

The UC system has always been intimately connected in name, but disconnected in culture and practice.

So visual execution of the logo aside, pushing to have a unified brand in front of the millions of eyeballs that are exposed to the UC system every year is a pretty damn smart move from a branding perspective.

seanlinehan2• 14 years ago

The strategic thinking behind the move is brilliant. Even if the logo cost $100,000 there is an argument to be made that more people will be able to connect with the brand and hopefully will donate. I'm quite certain that this type of move could be majorly profitable. But as hackers we know that a solid idea is not enough... the execution is what truly matters. The UC system's idea is awesome; the execution is pretty bad.

Turing_Machine• 14 years ago

"Even if the logo cost $100,000 "

It's likely going to cost millions. All the letterhead. Every web site. Physical signage.

"Connecting with the brand"? You're suggesting that people weren't familiar with the "brand" before?

so898• 14 years ago

Whatever, I do not think this is a good logo. It is really like an art of child.

bluekeybox• 14 years ago

Someone's been playing with 53/Paper's circular color mixer...

ronyeh• 14 years ago

Hey all, I created a Facebook page, just for fun:

https://www.facebook.com/UCAlumniAgainstNewLogo

University of California introduces a modern logo

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