University System Drops Much-Hated New Logo

Was it a browser icon? A tongue? A toilet? Critics alleged all three, but the new University of California logo is now one thing: history. School officials said yesterday they would suspend use of the logo that showed a large blue "U" surrounding a fading letter "C," the LA Times reports. The design "would win wide acceptance over time," says UC official Daniel Dooley, but "it also is important that we listen to and respect what has been a significant negative response."

Indeed: Reader complaints at one newspaper ranged from "It looks like a tongue. Cannot unsee" to "It looks like the aerial view of a flushing toilet." Many wanted UC to return to its old logo, with a drawing of an open book and the motto "Let There Be Light." But officials at the 10-campus university system haven't announced new logo plans, and say the controversial design will remain on paper materials for a while. This "is not going to happen overnight," says a UC official. "It's not like we can flip a switch." (More University of California stories.)