On the evening of March 30, the University of Massachusetts released a statement unveiling its new University seal and brand mark.
The seal depicts the spire of the campus’ Old Chapel in UMass maroon; the spire embodies “stability, continuity, and academic gravitas,” according to the statement. Set behind the spire is a shield recalling the “historic UMass signage” with “1863,” the year UMass was founded, underneath.
The statement highlighted that the modern perspective of the Old Chapel spire “expresses the lasting impact and breadth of the University today.”
UMass’ new brand mark depicts an “M” in a bold maroon color outlined in white.
According to the statement, the brand mark and seal “expands the University’s visual identity system, reflecting the values and unique position of the Commonwealth’s flagship campus.”
While UMass just revealed the new seal, a “gradual phase out of the seal began in 2011, and the University has not used the state seal as part of its official visual identity in more than a decade.”
The statement also indicated that work on the project started in 2021 in consultation with students, faculty, staff, alumni and UMass leadership.
Efi Georgiou, executive creative director in University Relations, led the creative process.
A quote included in the statement from Student Government Association Vice President Meher Gandhi indicated that UMass was in collaboration with SGA throughout the process with an emphasis of being conscious of the history of Massachusetts’ relationship with Indigenous peoples who live(d) within the state.
The old seal of UMass depicted a Native American man with an arm holding a sword over his head, similar to the seal found on the state flag of Massachusetts. The reveal of the new UMass seal follows suit with the state’s plan to replace its existing seal that was adopted in 1898, as described in the statement.
Jack Underhill can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @JackUnderhill16
Chevalier de Saint-Georges • Apr 2, 2023 at 1:12 am
“There’s a large amount of white space (not typical in seals) and it feels empty and top-heavy, like it’s about to roll onto its side. [one does] appreciate the somewhat unusual choice of a lot of ink in the center; though the details of the tower are awfully fine — how will that show up in use? The breaking of the lines by the spire is also visually distracting, largely because of the rounded terminals: There’s a lot of doubling (including the SS nearby), making [the eyes flinch].”
“Other minor details aren’t quite polished looking. The type is closer to the inner circle than the outer one. Old-style figures [surrounding] 1863 is odd when it’s literally in between two lines: lining figures would have fit the space better. The M is almost centered but not quite.”
“ it has an awkward imbalance of thin lines that get lost and big blocking. This won’t transfer well to various print sizes. The big “M” is also synonymous with so many other colleges…”.
Will there be a school motto to fill the blank spaces in the broken circles of the seal?
KB • Mar 31, 2023 at 10:06 pm
Sheeeesh