Berklee, change your logo back.
The Issue
Berklee, after 24 years, has decided to change their beautiful, superior natural sign logo to this ugly logo.
Oh my god.
It is hideous.
The original logo was beautiful. It was unique, recognizable to the college, it was Berklee. Obviously, the new logo itself is "berklee" but it is so bland, it represents everything that berklee is not.
Soul-less, minimalistic, and coperate.
In a school that is to teach young and old how to express themselves and create amazing, creative music, they change their logo from a symbol of one of the most authentic forms of art out there, to the ugliest thing definitely created on Canva, a platform that pushes generative AI on it's users even when on it for 2 seconds.
In an article featured in "Berklee Today Summer (2015)" written by Tom Riley, this is the explanation for Berklee's natural sign logo:
"The college's Lating motto, Esse quam videri, translates as 'To be, not seem to be.' In other words: Be your natural self. By owning the natural symbol, the college is able to symbolize this core belief...marking a natural path for the next generation of Berklee students."
If this is truly the meaning of the natural sign of Berklee's old logo, genuinely why change it to JUST the college of name? Are they tired of authentic music, or maybe they're tired of naturally created music, which is willfully reflected in the schools' AI songwriting course. What does the new logo even represent?
"We are berklee."
That's it.
That's the message!
I understand changes have to happen in this kind of business, but the natural sign was perfect. It was a gold mine. It was symbolic to the students and the core of the college, a double meaning. It was beautiful on merch. Now.... we get this bland, Canva font logo that's ugly, original, and has already 200 AI allegations on it. To be fair...Not even mingus the jazz cat? That didn't cross the mind?
Berklee is an amazing school. For many of the worlds greatest and most creative musicians, it is the end goal and the dream. It feels like a slap in the face to have such a meaningful and iconic logo taken from the community of Berklee. It is not just a change of a face for the school, but it represents a shift that Berklee is taking itself into showing it is not a community, but something to be branded.
Berklee is not a brand, and therefore should not be represented as such.
6
The Issue
Berklee, after 24 years, has decided to change their beautiful, superior natural sign logo to this ugly logo.
Oh my god.
It is hideous.
The original logo was beautiful. It was unique, recognizable to the college, it was Berklee. Obviously, the new logo itself is "berklee" but it is so bland, it represents everything that berklee is not.
Soul-less, minimalistic, and coperate.
In a school that is to teach young and old how to express themselves and create amazing, creative music, they change their logo from a symbol of one of the most authentic forms of art out there, to the ugliest thing definitely created on Canva, a platform that pushes generative AI on it's users even when on it for 2 seconds.
In an article featured in "Berklee Today Summer (2015)" written by Tom Riley, this is the explanation for Berklee's natural sign logo:
"The college's Lating motto, Esse quam videri, translates as 'To be, not seem to be.' In other words: Be your natural self. By owning the natural symbol, the college is able to symbolize this core belief...marking a natural path for the next generation of Berklee students."
If this is truly the meaning of the natural sign of Berklee's old logo, genuinely why change it to JUST the college of name? Are they tired of authentic music, or maybe they're tired of naturally created music, which is willfully reflected in the schools' AI songwriting course. What does the new logo even represent?
"We are berklee."
That's it.
That's the message!
I understand changes have to happen in this kind of business, but the natural sign was perfect. It was a gold mine. It was symbolic to the students and the core of the college, a double meaning. It was beautiful on merch. Now.... we get this bland, Canva font logo that's ugly, original, and has already 200 AI allegations on it. To be fair...Not even mingus the jazz cat? That didn't cross the mind?
Berklee is an amazing school. For many of the worlds greatest and most creative musicians, it is the end goal and the dream. It feels like a slap in the face to have such a meaningful and iconic logo taken from the community of Berklee. It is not just a change of a face for the school, but it represents a shift that Berklee is taking itself into showing it is not a community, but something to be branded.
Berklee is not a brand, and therefore should not be represented as such.
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Petition created on July 2, 2026