Alberta College of Art + Design Reveals New Name and Logo
The Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD) has revealed its new name and logo following a change in status from college to fully-fledged university.
One of Canada’s oldest institutions for art education, having been founded in 1926, the Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts), as it is to be now called, was named a university by the Government of Alberta in March of last year.
Governors at the institution believe the upgrade will help AUArts achieve parity with the three other dedicated art, craft and design Canadian universities.
The new identity, meanwhile, has been created in collaboration with Vancouver-headquartered Will Creative, under the leadership of co-founders Nick Richards and Ute Preusse, with the design being led by art director-come-designer Allison Chambers, an alumna who graduated from ACAD back in 2005.
“We continue to educate in ways that test the boundaries of common thought. Ways that will ignite your imagination and fuel your curiosity to go further. To explore deeper. To turn things upside down, inside out, downside in and right-side up again on a journey toward creative discovery,” reads a statement on the official AUArts website, hinting, no doubt, at the new logo that features the word “Arts” upside down.
“The intent is to provoke dialogue, to see arts differently, to see the world differently. Because people here really do think differently,” explains Scott Cressman, who currently serves as head of ACAD’s School of Communication Design.
“Creative minds have come to Calgary for nearly a century to launch international careers in graphic design, fashion and traditional media,” adds Alberta’s minister of advanced education, Marlin Schmidt (pictured below revealing the art school’s new name and logo at a special ceremony held last week). “By granting this iconic school university status, we’re cementing an already sterling global reputation. And by investing in AUArts, we’re ensuring it remains a destination for Alberta’s artists, designers and creative leaders.”
ACAD is set to officially become the new Alberta University of the Arts on February 1st.
Source: AUArts
