After faculty raised objections against new IIM Ahmedabad logo, its launch is postponed

The launch of the new logo of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has been postponed, as decided by the Board of Governors (BoG). This was announced by Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairperson of the Board and noted industrialist. This decision comes after a few faculty members had objected to the changes in the new logo. 

The objection was raised against the new logo by a few faculty members via a letter to the Board of Governors earlier this month. It was their complaint that no consultation was carried out before the decision of changing the logo was taken, as stated in a report by PTI.

"We had a discussion today around the issue of logo and the board has decided to keep it in abeyance (launch of a new logo) as of now. Errol D'Souza (IIMA Director) will put it out for wider consultation and inputs, and we will then look at it again," informed Birla, as quoted in a report by PTI.  

The Chairperson of the Board of Governors, who was attending the 57th annual convocation of IIMA, also shared that earlier, the logo was to be launched in June, but this has now been postponed.

"A lot of people had their emotions attached to the existing logo. So we thought it's right to take everyone's opinion into account (before coming out with a new logo)," said Birla when asked about the reason behind the postponement.

More about the logos
The current logo of IIMA was adopted in the year 1961 and has the motif Tree of Life from the detailed latticework in Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, Ahmedabad. It also has the Sanskrit verse Vidya Viniyogad Vikasa (development through distribution or application of knowledge), as stated in a report by Hindustan Times. 

In the two new logos, one for domestic and another for international, the impression of the mosque’s grille is less prominent and the Sanskrit verse is present only in the international logo, they stated in the letter. 

In the letter, the faculty members called the logo their "identity".

IIMA's website stated that in the process of revamping their website, they felt a need to refresh the logo. "The proposed logo continues the legacy of the original logo, retains the status line in Sanskrit (VidyaViniyogad Vikasa) as in the original, the colour rendition has been improved, the fonts modernized, the 'jaali' inspired brand mark has been made more amenable 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," it says.