"I’m a designer and art professor who has created logos and branding programs for a number of prominent institutions and universities. I think it is paramount that designers or their creative directors do thorough historical research on elements that are going to be incorporated into a logo that will represent the institution or its programs for, usually, a significant period of time and that will be prominently displayed on the organization’s collateral.In this case, the serpentine walls on the campus are very beautiful, despite their original function, and I can understand a designer being drawn to incorporate the waves into the design because they are aesthetically pleasing. They were not only used on the sword handles, but also created a subtle texture in the logo background. However, I usually undertake a significant amount of research, often delving into archives, when designing logos and other graphic elements. If that kind of curiosity and interest in the history of the campus had gone into this project, the controversy associated with the walls may have become known prior to finalizing the design. It’s an embarrassment and shame that the racial issues were discovered or brought to light after the unveiling of the new logo.I teach young designers that a very important part of the design process is research. Perhaps I’ll use this as an example in the future!"