AMHERST — The University of Massachusetts Amherst has unveiled a new seal featuring the spire of the Old Chapel and a new brand mark designed to give the flagship Amherst campus its own identity within the University of Massachusetts system.

The revised seal, which replaces a seal with an image of a Native American discontinued more than a decade ago, and brand mark were released publicly Thursday and were available Friday at UMass Store in the Campus Center and online at www.umassstore.com.

The change is seen by officials as an expansion of the university’s visual identity and a reflection of the values and unique position for the Amherst campus.

“We are grateful to so many members of the campus community for their participation in the process of developing the new seal and mark,” said John Kennedy, vice chancellor for University Relations. “The result is a compelling visual expression of the campus that reflects our history, tradition and values.”

The new seal and brand mark are expected to complement the university’s current wordmark, with the UMass Amherst words connected, with UMass written in black letters and Amherst written in maroon letters, and the “Power U” mark, showing a script U over a block M, used by the university’s athletics program since 1998.

The seal, in the traditional and bold maroon that has long been associated with the campus, depicts the spire of the Old Chapel, set upon a shield with a distinctive shape that recalls historic signs on campus. “University of Massachusetts” and “1863” are written on the perimeter of the new seal. According to the university, the “classical architecture of the granite spire embodies stability, continuity and academic gravitas” and because the spire extends beyond the seal’s circular boundary “symbolizes both its revolutionary spirit and academic excellence.”

In removing the Indigenous man standing against a shield and below an arm wielding a Colonial-style sword, the university is ahead of the state’s plans to replace the existing seal, adopted in 1898, and the state flag, both of which have the same image. In May 2022, a Special Commission on the Official Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth, established by the Legislature, made up of lawmakers, members of Indigenous tribes, historians and others, voted unanimously to recommend that the state seal and Latin motto, which translated means, “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty,” be updated.

UMass stopped using the previous university seal in 2011.

UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski said previously that 42 state flagship universities have institutional seals that are not the state seal.

New brand mark ‘M’

Meanwhile, a “Letter M” design will serve as the new brand mark for the university. This collegiate M is meant to be an addition to the athletic mark and to expand the design elements available to visually represent the UMass Amherst brand.

Work on the project started in 2021 and final designs were completed following extensive consultation with students, faculty, staff, alumni and UMass leadership, with sessions to solicit feedback held last fall.

Development of both the seal and brand mark were done in house by staff in University Relations. Efi Georgiou, executive creative director, led the creative process.

A student leader expressed support for the changes.

“As a student government that has focused strongly this year on advocating for student consultation for changes made by university administration, we are very glad to have been a part of the decision-making process for the new UMass seal,” said Student Government Association Vice President Meher Gandhi said. “As we advance as a university, it is important to do so with keeping in mind diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the troubling history of the state of Massachusetts and its relationship with the Indigenous populations that inhabited the state.”

The flagship instituted use of a modified state seal in place of the block UM logo in 2003. Gradual phase out of the seal then began eight years later. The campus wordmark, governed by brand architecture, has been the university’s primary visual element since that time.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>