A new, stylized "UC" logo meant to symbolize the contemporary University of California has sparked a firestorm of derision.
Critics say the emblem—a thick blue "U" overlaid with a semi-transparent "C"—looks cheap and commercial, and lacks the dignity appropriate for one of the world's leading universities.
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In four days, an online petition gathered 49,174 signatures against the design. And a 4-day-old Facebook page, "Stop the UC Logo Change," had 6,108 "Likes."
Officials of the 10-campus UC system have been quick to respond, saying the new logo is an additional branding mark, not a replacement for the official seal.
"Here's the thing: It's not replacing anything," UC said on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon. "There wasn't a logo before, and the UC seal isn't going anywhere."
The new logo is the main UC emblem on the UC Office of the President homepage, while the old seal is the main emblem on the UC Regents homepage.
UC officials said the university began using the new symbol nearly a year ago, although the uproar hit just recently with a number of press reports.
Jason Simon, UC's director of marketing communication, said in a message petition organizers posted on their website:
"The new mark was created as a part of our broader efforts to build awareness and support for all the things that UC does to make California (and by extension the world) better. What we have tried to do is to create a mark that is iconic, flexible, and solid enough that it works to represent the UC system as a whole.
"The mark can be used in a combination of the various UC blues and golds as well as in a multitude of applications. Seals are wonderful and carry a legacy and tradition. They also signify bureaucracy, staidness, and other not-so-great characteristics."
Attached to this article is a short UC video released last month, "University of California Identity," that includes the old seal and new logo.
