The University of California has decided to suspend use of its redesigned logo, the university announced Friday.
The move follows public outcry over the logo, which erupted last week after The Oakland Tribune published a story about the redesigned logo, which university administrators said had been in use for nearly a year.
“While I believe the design element in question would win wide acceptance over time, it also is important that we listen to and respect what has been a significant negative response by students, alumni and other members of our community,” UC Senior Vice President for External Relations Daniel Dooley said in a statement.
More than 50,000 individuals had signed an online petition calling for the logo’s removal.
“I’m glad they changed their minds” said UC Berkeley junior Kyra Baldwin. “The old logo was a very unclever look, designwise. And I study design. It looked like something that was a corporate logo without reflecting the university’s image.”
Jason Simon, director of marketing communications at the UC Office of the President, said he was surprised by the sheer volume of complaints as well as the delayed reaction of the responses, as the controversial logo had been in use for more than a year before the onslaught of criticism.
According to Simon, the university has no immediate plans to introduce any new logos but will focus instead on gradually phasing out the current redesign, which has already been removed from social media websites.
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a vocal critic of the redesign, applauded the university’s decision as a step forward in positive public engagement with critics of administrative policy.
“It was nice, for a change, to hear the administration respond appropriately to the chorus of voices,” Newsom said. “You get to a point where you think your voice doesn’t necessarily matter. This is not tuition, access or quality, but it is symbolic of the frustration people have.”
Despite general support for the decision, some, like UC Berkeley senior Andrew Ludwig, remain skeptical.
“It’s nice to know that our activism counts for something,” he said. “Unfortunately, it seems to be only for something trivial.”
Contact Shirin Ghaffary at [email protected]