IBA’S APPARENT NEW LOGO

saw this on Karachi MetroBlogs when IBA had changed its logo. just thought i should post it to put the discussion into perspective.

*open quotes*

 IBA’S NEW LOGO

posted by Ramla A. at 11:25 PM on December 10, 2005

When Pakistan’s oldest business school, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), first created a logo, it was a copy of IBM’s logo. IBM was one of the partners/ donors of IBA at the time of its computer studies facilities set-up.

IBA has changed its logo to a bohemian brown (Mahogany? Oh no, the men will be scared off by the EXACT COLOR NAME.) with those four arrows pointing in (Well. That seems men-friendly!). Bewildered students and alumni wondered on the IBA Orkut community if this is:

- copied from another university’s logo
- copied from Union Jack and put through some twisted transformation algorithm
- represents diverse students converging
- represents students dumping their heads in a common well
- lesso/ mucho more

All right. Enough cynicism. My only comments are: dot.com era style icons are SO OVER. What did this mean? And, well, why is is not on the IBA website? A business school that doesn’t know about corporate identity? Why, the logo appears to be a motif off a banarsi saree!

To the public: think of this as your own Rorschach test. What does this logo represent to you?

Comments

i actually though the symbol (minus the very tech-NOT-font) was interesting. to me the four arrrows pointing towards the middle represent focus. the taking in of knowledge form all directions and streamlining it to the centre where it can be contained and then eventually applied. but then thats my take on it

Posted by: jammie at December 11, 2005 01:22 AM

I tend to agree with Jammie in that the logo clearly shows “focus,” but the issue is:

1. The logo is too trite.
2. The color is unexplained.
3. IBA’s slogan is ‘leadership and ideas for tomorrow’ which doesn’t co-relate with the logo.

What do you say, Jammie? As a graphic designer, do you think we should perhaps look at the logo more fairly?

BTW, I do not doubt IBA’s ability to create outstanding managers. That I am an alumni has little to do with my favor.

Posted by: Ramla A. at December 11, 2005 03:59 PM

It represents nothing to me..it seems more of a logo for an NGO then of an educational institute. Whoever designed this logo should take some heed and idea from the Universities worldover.

Posted by: Arsalaan Haleem at December 11, 2005 05:07 PM

the BBAs and the MBAs didnt even design the logo. Most of the students resent the fact that they were not consulted and not even the students know what it represents or why it needed to be changed.

Posted by: sid at December 11, 2005 10:52 PM

from my experience it looks like a logo that has been designed by a computer operator type who fancies himself a designer. we meet many of those in my work, passing themselves off as “designers”. you can tell the non-finesse a mile away.

Posted by: jammie at December 12, 2005 01:02 AM

Exactly, Jammie! Speaking completely visually, the way the arrows do not center under the letter “B” above make the logo look lopsided. Though ‘focus’ and ‘convergence’ are two themes the logo can be excused for, it has many other flaws. Anyway.

Good things have happened at IBA, but this is clearly the work of a ‘grafik designer.’ Honestly reminds me of the many visuals on the tons of demised .pk websites. You know what I mean.

Posted by: Ramla A. at December 12, 2005 01:42 AM

I actually didn’t see the logo as four arrows pointing in until I read the description.

“Leadership and ideas for tomorrow” sounds like an ever-expanding phenomenon, so perhaps the arrows should be pointing out not in. But then it will make the logo look like a crossed checkbox

Technically, you need leadership in the present with a forsight of a better future. Since the objective of every business is to be profitable, money and success (better future) are synonymous. *end quotes*

Source

[Comments have been edited based on relevance]