The leaves and bud (or is it an acorn?) – I’m no expert on trees – in two tones of green are arranged to slightly suggest of a letter Y, but not too obviously so. Combined with the thin and even sans serif the overall feel is perhaps a little generic medical. The letter ‘r’s have some pretty distinctive shoulders (I think that’s what they are called) and no dots over the ‘i’s is unusual.
Starting out with the lovely title, The Institution For The Diffusion Of Useful Knowledge, UCLAN have a very sparse logo
The name UCLAN seems at little cumbersome, but since UCL is taken I guess it makes sense.
A pretty figurative approach is taken on the rendering of the roses, instead of a the more abstract approach often taken by the newer universities. It’s difficult to see past the red rose as a symbol to use when talking about Lancashire since it is so strongly associated with the county. Unsure why there are two. Whilst they sit tidily enough, the placement of the roses and foliage doesn’t seem to add any great sense of tension or balance in the logo. A little bit of Pareidolia has the user vaguley aware of pair of eyes looking out. In fact the pair of red eyes put me in mind of an L S Lowry painting – The Man with the Red Eyes. I think this might be a bit of a reach , but an interesting association nevertheless.
The font looks similar to Frutiger. A legible choice, though used very plainly all in lowercase, giving it a strange, passive voice.
A logo that seems to hark back to the late seventies, with a bold, even garish colour scheme, a grid like representation of a globe, overlaid with panels rather incongruously throwing in more traditional elements of book and bugles.
The globe and panes combine with the font to create a nostalgic feel, free of the softer swirls, swooshes and treatments of modern logos. I guess not intentional, but the bugles seem to suggest some kind of global postal service.
Overall, it seems unabashed by it’s awkwardness and the choice of Avant Garde Gothic, enhances the retro feel. A bold choice, that certainly makes it stand out. Even if I can’t help thinking it could have a bit part in this video, whilst being accompanied by this tune
A green/blue on top a blue background doesn’t provide much contrast the graphic element of this logo, which is 3 mountains represented in a bold style reminiscent of the 70s in it’s simplicity. Why they are cropped at the left and right I’m not sure. Perhaps the use of the mountains is seeking to create a sense of place, implying a rugged, rural setting? The treatment seems more appropriate for a range of hiking gear. Having said that, I think the bold style could perhaps have worked had the typography matched the graphic treatment and been more adventurous.
Instead, a stolid uppercase serif is used, lacking any flourishes or quirks it tends to add the to the impression of a logo caught between two stools. Lacking the hutzpah of a young institution or the gravitas of an older one.
Leeds Met logo is made of people.
If you look closely (and I hope you enjoyed the reference), you can see representations of the human figure in various states of motion, which combine to make up a rose. You can see this more clearly in the previous version of the logo, which perhaps suggests that the new version is aiming to emphasise yorkshire rose’s prominence rather than the more generic people. Oddly enough, I found that once I’ve seen the people in the logo, I now have a little trouble seeing it as a rose.
Set in all lower case and displayed around the rose, the text is condensed Helvetica Neue Condensed leading to a vaguely utilitarian feel. Not sure about the alignment the text – I feel that a strong vertical alignment might have provided a better contrast with the looser flower style.
Extremely simple logo consisting of a plain rendering of the University of Cumbria in what looks like a variation of Garamond, with the addition of a set of six leaves in place of the dot over the last i. Reminiscent of a nature related organisation I presume the leaves are a reflection of the very rural character and concerns of the university. Not sure how well it works since there’s no real clue of an educational angle. I couldn’t see if there was any significance in the numbers of leaves (perhaps campuses?).
The leaves themselves have a heavy outline and are angular rather than soft – slighty resembling flames.
A very simple choice of logo attempting to give a sense of the countryside that perhaps could work with a better implementation.
A representation of the landmark Parkinson building establishing a sense of place. By directly referring to an iconic building Leeds are making a strong connection, and sets up a nice experience for any visitors where they can follow that visual from the logo to a real place.
Nicely balanced in the square and drawn with enough detail, it draws on a tradition of civic pride as well as suggesting the tradition and experience that one would expect from an established university. I couldn’t see any examples of the logo in a portrait format, which may be the it’s only limitation
The typeface for the text looks similar to Gill Sans, all in uppercase, and complimenting the period of the building. The are angular slashes from the top the T, F and the Es, perhaps echoing an inscriptional face.
Overall, an innovative way for a large established university to convey solidity and ambition with particular reference to the city.
Tidying up exercise on Salford’s roundel described in the corporate guidelines. The supporting text around the Lion (in a pose called rampant)) has been made bolder, larger and simpler, whilst also removing some ornamentation. Like the simplicity of just one lion. A strong character in a dynamic pose free of distractions alludes to the history suggested by a coat of arms, without labouring the point. The circular shape is a strong mark when done with simply and with confidence. Was reminded me of the Midland Bank Griffin
The wordmark is in sentence case and set in Frutiger, which adds a light touch to the overall mark. Also nice to see the university happy to be have a less formal feel rather than the more common uppercase.
A calming and fresh choice of green for the wordmark, contrasting nicely with the burgundy of the lion.
Multiple elements taken from the university crest designed by Sir Algernon Tudor-Craig in 1928. The symbols are the torch for learning, the rose for Yorkshire, the ducal coronet from the arms of the City of Hull, the fleur-de-lys for Lincolnshire and the dove, symbolising peace, from the arms of Thomas Ferens. Such a range of elements signifying such specific things provides a challenge when seeking to refer to a coat of arms, since each must presumably be given equal weight. Hull have tackled this problem by rendering them in a flat style that reminds me of a dingbat font.
The older version of Hull’s logo shown here uses an egyptian style panel where the elements look like heiroglyphics.
h3. Typography
The strong modern serif of Meta gives some balance between modernity and tradition that suits an established red brick university. A mix of upper and lowercase, prevents the logo becoming too strident, and the serifs are important to distinguish those double l’s.
Most unusual aspect of this logo is the specific requirement for it to be orientated on it’s side in most cases. The website is considered an exception to this rule, and I’ve shown that version here. It shows an odd attachment to the print media to choose this layout – indeed the examples from the draft corporate guidelines I’ve linked to insist on a whole bar device.
Nice to see that Hull have eschewed the shield when referencing their coat of arms, but I think the type and the graphic elements don’t compliment each other as well as they could.
h3. A Balanced and lively approach.
Typographic only approach eschewing the familiar path of shields or crest based logos. Instead they’ve gone for a dual pronged strategy. One half of the logo employs an upright uppercase serif font with large capitals widely spaced. The other element are the words ‘of York’ drawn in a calligraphic style with a medieval feel to it.
Uses Uppercase Palatino for ‘The University’ part of logotype, with larger Initial caps. Quite widely spaced, with the fairly square serifs on Palatino. The life in the logo is given by the calligraphic treatment of the ‘of York’ – combined really nicely by large flowing descender, which is in turn nicely contrasts with the angular bowl of the ‘y’. The next three are joined nicely, and with the k providing and echo of the ‘y’ descender in the opposite direction, finishing the logo in a calligraphic style with a medieval feel.
h3. History without recourse to a shield
Unlike other equally established universities, York have chosen not to make their coat of arms a direct influence on their logo, instead choosing to have an independent rendering of it act in support of the typographic logo. It seems that the intention is to have the option of using the shield without requiring it.
h3. A confident watermark
Interestingly, York seem to actively encourage the use of the logo in a tinted form and on more detailed backgrounds. With caveats about making sure it has sufficient contrast – but one can see that this gives some opportunity for layered compositions, and shows off the boldness of the calligraphy.
