c/o Wesleyan University

Just one week after the University unveiled the fruits of a two-year-long Core Messaging project in the form of a redesigned wordmark, monogram, and seal, a school-wide email was sent out informing students, faculty, and alumni that due to overwhelming negative feedback, the monogram will be retired. The newly redesigned wordmark and seal will remain official University emblems.

Since it’s release, the new monogram has received a lot of criticism. Some say it reads like the logo of a tech company, others claim it resembles the Hebrew letter shin, and many think that it is simply unappealing. On the day it debuted, a logo protest was organized in Usdan, numerous petitions were circulated to pressure the administration to change the logo, and many alumni and faculty expressed dismay at the what Wesleyan’s “new brand” represented.

“Message received,” reads the school-wide email sent by Roth earlier this afternoon. “We will go back to the ‘W’ we have been using for the last few years and rethink any changes. Our plan now in updating the monogram is to again reach out to students, faculty, staff and alumni representatives for input. In fact, we have already received some interesting suggestions, and we anticipate part of this process will be an open call for designs.”

The administration has set up a webpage where members of the Wesleyan community can go to stay informed about the new monogram redesign process and send in any questions or concerns they might have.

“Our goal is to represent, in images and words, the best of Wesleyan—in scholarship and the arts, in athletics and civic engagement,” reads the email. “A monogram should not distract from that effort. We welcome your help in coming up with something more appropriate.”

Sasha Linden-Cohen can be reached at srcohen@wesleyan.edu.