Some Alternatives to the "PH"
My alma mater, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, is changing its logo from this (and variations thereof, such as without the elephant):
to this:
and variations thereof.
It’s boring, misread as “PH,” and… well, plain.
So I decided to make it less plain, more readable, and bolder.
I started by making the “R” obvious with a few white lines:
With some color, it’s a bit more obvious still, and will embroider oh-so-much-better on apparel:
Then I thought about that odd tail on the left, supposedly part of a sine wave. It sure looks… forlorn… lost…. Let’s do something about that:
But… what about the whitespace above the “H” and below the “R?” It looks a little out of balance. Let’s do this, then:
And one last touch, changing the sine wave a bit:
This makes the sine wave look more like two other things, too: a helix (part of DNA) and a Mobius strip (a pretty neat mathematical construct, among other things). Biomed? Math? Yes, both offered at Rose.
That’s what I came up with in about five minutes of tinkering with the logo. It’s rough, I know, and there’s sure to be something better. Though I don’t want Rose to change its logo, if they’re going to (and somebody paid big bucks to do it), I want them to do it right.
Am I right? Who cares?! I had fun doing this!
Dr. Eccles,
In the last three images you have given the wave some depth, so it looks like a helix rather than a sine wave.
I like the second option with the red "R", black wave and black "H".
RP
ME-2004
I agree with Ryan.
I like what you've done here, but while biomed and math are offered at Rose:
1) Math is already inherent in the logo, with a sine wave
2) Rose is an engineering school first and foremost, so biomed/math shouldn't be given such symbolic importance in the logo.
And on that note, it's the sine wave itself that makes the logo look so bad, to begin with. (To be completely honest, I didn't get it at first, because the sine wave... well, isn't.)
Personally, I think the logo should instead incorporate something regarding RHIT's founding/history: most importantly, Chauncey Rose. The school has become what it is today through emulation of Rose's character: industry, integrity, philanthropy, and humility.
(In other words, if we need to take the logo back into the past, take it to the 1870s, not the 1970s - which is what the proposed logo looks like.)
Forgot to add:
Chip Bennett
CH '00
Good points, both of ya'.
My guess is that the Hulmans have felt a bit cheated in the old logo (or that someone decided they might be) and started shopping around for a new logo.
Thanks for the comments!