One of New South Wales‘ biggest tertiary institutions, the University of Western Sydney, has officially made a pretty huge decision: UWS will be no more, as the University does a rebrand/switcheroo to Western Sydney University, or, “WSU“, dropping the “of” in the process.
Truly groundbreaking, Earth-shattering stuff.
To be fair – it’s a fairly innocent makeover, in and of itself. And sure, you’re meant to do whatever you can to keep things fresh. But when that rebrand comes at the price of a casual $20 M I L L I O N ?
Yeah, nah mate. I would’ve done it for at least half that.
I can’t believe the University of Western Sydney paid some marketing type $20 million to change their name to Western Sydney University.
— Rowena Grant-Frost (@rowenaboggle) August 6, 2015
But fair play where it’s due: the fee is also being used to revamp the UWS logo. Which would make sense if the blue UWS bird weren’t an icon of the institution itself; symbolically giving The Bird the bird isn’t quite the kind of move that current and former UWS students can get behind.
A campaign to #SaveTheBird on twitter has already launched in protest.
@UWS As an alumni: waste of money to rebrand a fine uni name/logo. Focus on rigour and student support. http://t.co/SAVMuxsMI3 #SavetheBird
— Rob, the plebeian (@rtillsley) August 6, 2015
i’m graduating next month and wallah my degree better have a blue logo and read UWS and not a maroon WSU #SaveTheBird pic.twitter.com/qnQdCPMZj5
— S a b r i n a (@prosetitute_) August 6, 2015
UWS changing its logo and name to western sydney university that’s weak af
— Megan (@megsticles) August 6, 2015
What the hell! @UWS changing their logo? Where’s the tradition? #savethebird
— Clair (@Clairzilla) August 6, 2015
@UWS @UWSNews I want my uni to continue to belong to the people of Western Sydney and I don’t want to lose the bird #SavetheBird #NewWS
— Katelyn Stevenson (@kmstevenson93) August 1, 2015
#SaveTheBird UWS is a great uni, and rebranding would be a horrible idea, plus, NOBODY wants it! pic.twitter.com/GzuX65AuvE
— Jackson Kennedy (@jacksonk1996) July 31, 2015
Today’s news brings back fond memories of Sydney Transport‘s fleeting 2013 logo scandal – when the NSW Government spent $1 million for a bland AF bouncing ball.
UWS sees that scandal and raises it another $19 million.
The rebrand will officially launch on August 30 this year.
