Posted on: Thursday, May 1, 2003

EDITORIAL
UH logo: a lesson learned for next time

Sometimes strategic retreat is the wisest course of action.

And so it seems to be for the University of Hawai'i, which backed away smartly from its plan to adopt a new systemwide "logo" from one of two options produced by a Mainland design firm.

The decision to go, quite literally, back to the drawing board was made by UH President Evan Dobelle after he sorted through hundreds of angry e-mails and letters and took another hard look at the two finalist designs.

Objections to the two proposed logos came on several fronts: Some plainly didn't like the designs, others were upset that they cost the university $82,000 and others were unhappy that on-campus or local artists were not chosen.

Since the university will now start over, why not start at ground zero? Convene a meeting of campus artists and graphic design specialists, led by well-known and respected local graphic artists such as Momi Cazimero and Clarence Lee, and have them brainstorm what kind of symbol best represents the university. This group might come up with a final product or at least a good concept that could then be finished professionally.

Giving UH a coherent brand image is a good idea. And this first go-round was hardly a waste of time and money, no matter what happens.

If nothing else, it served to demonstrate that a lot of people — on campus and off — care passionately about their university and what is used to represent it.