Critics plumb depths of distaste for newly designed UC logo
The University of California, it seems, can do very little without prompting protest.
And so it was last week after officials unveiled a slimmed-down, computer-friendly logo to complement the 144-year-old classic seal.
The logo, a pastel "C" on a blue shield background, was likened to variations of a toilet seat. Or a "blue tongue." Not one, but two Facebook pages were created. Petitions were drafted, drawing a reported 30,000 online signatures.
Game on, UC fathers.
"Grew up in Berkeley and have worked for UC. The old logo is elegant. The new one looks like a logo from a bad online university," sniffed Jacob from Arcata on the "Stop the UC Logo Change" Facebook page.
The university is taking the pushback in stride. The old logo will continue to be used on official documents, officials say. The new design is geared toward creating "a mark that is iconic, flexible, and solid enough that it works to represent the UC system as a whole," James Simon, the University of California director of marketing communications, wrote to critics.
Alas, his promise to "respect what we are hearing" did not win over the doubters. "This," responded one, "makes it look like a Jamba Juice or a Target, not a place of higher learning."
BY THE NUMBERS
California is home to more Americans 100 years old or older than any other state, according to a Census Bureau report, but its percentage of centenarians and other over-70 residents is below the national average. With 1.6 percent of its population listed as centenarians, it was below the national average of 1.7 percent and way below North Dakota's 3.3 percent.
WORTH REPEATING
"She left an indelible mark on issues she cared greatly about, especially in areas like public safety where she was instrumental in passing significant and far-reaching legislation."
ASSEMBLY SPEAKER JOHN A. PÉREZ, in a written tribute to former Republican Assemblywoman Barbara Alby, who died Sunday at 66
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