Waterloo will replace its more traditional logo, (above) with a new logo (below)
that some critics have called unprofessional ( Photo Provided )
A couple months prior to its November premiere, the University of Waterloo’s brand new marketing logo was unceremoniously leaked to the public sparking a loud and critical backlash from members of the school’s student body.
The logo, which was set to be unveiled in the fall, was part of a re-branding effort by the university’s administration to portray itself as an innovative, creative and unconventional institution, according to Meg Beckel, the university’s vice-president (external).
However, since being leaked in late July, the logo received a poor reception from certain segments of the school body, leading to online petitions and Facebook groups demanding the new insignia be scrapped.
“The logo does not convey the proper image of the school,” it states on the Facebook page for the 8,000-member group, Students and Alumni against the New University of Waterloo Logo.
The group, which has become the most vocal opponent of the proposed new symbol, featuring links to critical video blogs and Twitter threads, as well as comments from anonymous faculty members, which condemn the logo as “appalling” to expressing concern over the commercial-oriented new look.
The administration has countered these complaints, claiming that the logo is an integral part of its remodelling effort to make the school a globally-recognized institution.
In a statement prepared for the Identity Task Force – the body responsible for the new logo – the administration says the logo must convey energy and diversity that projects the school as “an exceptional academic university that is also different, unconventional and risk-taking.”
Amid the controversy and student pushback, the university claims strong support, stating “the symbol and process have confirmed that the majority of our stakeholders support updating our visual identity system.”
The school acknowledged the criticism, specifically the charge that the proposed logo lacked professionalism, commenting that some were not ready for the edgy new look.
Beckel said she thinks the reason why some people are opposed is because “the symbol doesn’t look like other conventional, traditional symbols. The symbol is too bold, too daring and too different.”
Yet, the proposed logo’s design is not the sole issue brought up by the student body, as some students claim they were left out of the process.
A statement on the Facebook group said, “If UW as an institution wants to label itself as ‘collaborative,’ then their best bet is to start at home by being collaborative.”
The university said student input was taken into consideration during the re-branding campaign including focus groups with students, something its detractors criticize as not going far enough.
As a response to the criticism, the school asked 50,000 alumni for feedback on the proposed logo and will consider the comments and plot its next move in the coming days.