UB logo saga: Old or New
| Friday June 20, 2014 17:21
Thato Moahi: Kana betsho the first logo carries our history with it. Our University was built by our forefathers with all that they had...and they had to do it fast because we unexpectedly had to break away from BOLESWA - a university that was shared by Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland. Bagolo ba rona contributed so much!
They brought their cattle, grains, goats and chickens, you name it, to get UB from the ground up...and that was because they wanted me and you to have a life we can be proud of re tshwana le bana ba mafatshe a mangwe. It’s amazing to hear Dr Gaositwe Chiepe talk about the panic that Batswana had because of the BOLESWA break up, our nation had to stand up and take care of its own. The first logo tells that story...I don’t know about the second logo and what it represents.
Kassyd Naidoo: University of Botswana is not like an ordinary company whereby you start it yourself. It has meaning towards Batswana, the way it started where every family was contributing cattle, harvest from their fields or anything that they had in time to build it. The old logo symbolised the meaning of that with the head of a cow, sorghum, book and bricks to show that the nation built the school for their children. But with the new logo, it really shows nothing.
We do not understand if the leaf represents weed or what? It might be a logo of today’s life. But our grandparents who built the school do not understand its meaning. They want something that is clear and easy to understand that appreciates their effort, not tree leaves.
Wilson Ngoni: The old one is the best. It carries a lot of weight for a university logo as compared to the new ‘leaves’ that look as though it’s a kindergarten art project by a minor or juvenile.
There is more symbolism within the old one, and the symbols deliver a message readily, where as, yes, the new one might be a symbol as well. But it is just a collection of gramineous (grass) leaves. Furthermore, the old one has got colour, it’s warm. The new one is cold and sickly pallid, like an anaemic artwork. I said this the very first time when the logo was changed.
Deuce Scrolls: Nothing wrong with the new logo. It is professional and has all artistry remedying to it as compared to the old one. It is less cluttered. It is a more professional logo with global relevance; but not blurring those cultural precepts and symbolism of what made the university into a reality. It is simplicity in the making... it gives articulate colours.
Ame Flex: Someone knock some sense into the UB admin. Corporate identity is not like BW politics, you don’t just switch faces randomly at will. There is no room for pictorial logos in the 21st century. The new logo is simple, abstract and symbolises growth. The old logo belongs in history books not in 2014. #NewLogoAllDay
Losika Lame Modipane II: Waste of money. It’s like changing street names ga gona mosola, UB should focus on positioning it self as the best in Africa and advertising itself needs new branding I thought when they changed the logo they were aiming at that. Shame!
Vusi Nyoni: I always believe understanding branding is important because changing a logo like this one requires you not to ignore or take lightly the fact that, the logo came about as a result of contribution, sacrifice, national unity and consultation.
I guess the UB logo has somehow, in our Tswana minds earned the status of a national emblem, which you don’t just decide to change, like the national anthem or the coat of arms. I hope somebody has learnt something. What an expensive way to learn though!
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