July 18, 2012 9.34 am This story is over 155 months old

University of Lincoln swaps Minerva logo for swans

New look: The swans on the Brayford now have a place in the new University of Lincoln logo.

The swans on the Brayford now have a place in the new University of Lincoln logo.

The old University of Lincoln logo

The university dropped the logo featuring the Roman goddess Minerva, for its crest featuring swans and Lincoln Cathedral.

The crest is flanked by two swans holding in their beaks a fleur de lys.

The gothic tower is shown with a Peregrine falcon on top, as well as medieval knight’s helmet.

It also features the University of Lincoln motto, “Libertas per Sapientam”, which is Latin for “Through Wisdom, Liberty”.

This is the second identity change for the University of Lincoln in less than a year after it has stopped using green for its old logo in favour of the colour blue.

The new coat of arms, in colour

The university has an expansive explanation of its coat of arms here.

University of Lincoln spokesperson Thirzah Wildman explained: “The use of the Minerva logo was becoming increasingly problematic since the university did not own the copyright outright and the image is used by several other organisations.

“We already had our own, unique coat of arms – devised by the College of Arms who are the ancient official body who grant coats of arms – so after an extensive consultation with students and staff we decided to use that as our logo.

“It is felt that the coat of arms represents the gravitas and positioning of a top 50 institution,” she added.

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