Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad has landed in a controversy over the management’s decision to change its historical logo. This move has been severely criticized by the faculty members and the academic board, with over 40 faculty members writing to the management, opposing the move.
The top institute's top governing body has decided to replace the existing logo with two new logos: one for domestic use, and one for international.
The existing logo adopted in 1961 includes a Sanskrit verse, 'Vidya viniyogadvikasa' meaning development through the distribution or application of knowledge. In the new logos, the impression of the mosque’s grille is present, however, it is less prominent. While the Sanskrit shloka is only there in the international logo.
Amid all the backlash, IIM-A in a statement on Thursday said "The institute, in the process of revamping its website, found the need to refresh the logo. Evaluation, exploration, development of wordmark, development of brandmark were all kept in mind while coming up with the final design recommendations."
"The proposed logo continues the legacy of the original logo, retains the status line in Sanskrit (VidyaViniyogadVikasa) as in the original, the colour rendition has been improved, the fonts modernised, the 'jaali' inspired brand mark has been made more amendable to communication in digital media, and the brand name made more distinct. The proposed logo is to be released in June of this year after the annual vacation," the statement read.
However, on closer observation of the full details of the Academic Council meeting, no consensus between the IIM Institute and its Academic Council members regarding changing the logo. 48 professors have submitted a letter to the Board of Directors opposing the decision to change the logo and requesting it to be withdrawn.
Former IIMA director Bakul Dholakia, slamming the move, asked how the decision could have been considered when there were no heads up from the academic council. He said that the move “defies logic and reason” and will lead to diluting the strong brand of IIM-A.
