The symbol for the Jacob Kramer College Leeds 1968 to 1993
The red spot stood for many things, most importantly the significant role Harry Thubron had in the shaping of the basic Pre Diploma course that all students would need to pass if they were to undertake a DipAD. Taken from one of his wood constructions that is in the collection of the Leeds Art Gallery, it symbolised the moment that form became alive. This spot, is really an energy field, an idea that sits between a circle and a square. It is forever trying to move between these two classic forms, never becoming either and in that oscillation it becomes organic rather than geometric. Human rather than mechanical.
The present logo is a more formal design. In some ways it echoes the Thubron image but it is too fixed, too designed and not quite aware of the symbolic importance of its predecessor.
Current Leeds Arts University Logo
The fact the logo has to include the date '1846', is a sign that the old proud confidence of the Jacob Kramer logo has gone, and this is a statement that is more about claiming the right of ownership of a brand, than stating a philosophy of education.
For a while the college logo was taken from the mosaic that still sits over the entrance to Vernon Street, but even that direct reference to history never had the resonance of the red spot.
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