UCSB just got rid of the "Wave Logo" and replaced it with the letters UCSB. This is all well and good except the new logo mixes serif and sans-serif fonts in a distasteful way. It is a basic principle of typography that if you are going to mix serif and sans-serif fonts, they should contrast each other. Here, it makes the logo look unprofessional.

The issue is not that the fonts look different, but rather that they look too similar. If you are going to have two typefaces, then at least make them highly contrasting.

Here's the official new branding.

Why is this a problem?

UCSB is the #8 best public school in America. So why is it that a school as good as ours with all the resources we have would come up with a brand new identity system that looks unbalanced?

The two typefaces that make up the logo are Produkt (UC) and Avenir (SB). On their own, both are good typefaces. But they shouldn't be used together. Together it looks like a mistake.

While the new logo is slick and clean, the use of the two fonts makes it seem amateur. Is this how we want to represent our school? Do we want our school to appear unbalanced and like a mistake?

Proposed Solutions:

There are several ways to fix this and here are some acceptable solutions:

• Unify the typeface between the UC and SB. Making a distinction between the two can be as simple as using a space: "UC Santa Barbara". This is what UC Berkley does.
• Return to the old "Wave Logo"
• Use two typefaces that compliment and yet obviously contrast each other.

Using two fonts is not a requirement in the UC System. UCLA, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Irvine, and UC Riverside use the same font for all the letters. And the others that do use two fonts make it clearly obvious through both font choice and the positioning of the text.

Please help make the logo remedy a reality.