Maryland College is changing its logo to a more readable one

CHESTERTOWN, Md. — A college on Maryland’s Eastern Shore says students found it harder to read its cursive logo and had to change it.

Since 2013, the official logo of Washington College in Chestertown has included a seal with George Washington’s original signature from the 18th century.

“Because cursive is no longer commonly taught in elementary and middle schools, the script — especially this highly stylized version — was difficult to read and not immediately recognizable to many potential students,” Washington College said in a news release. “It was counterproductive in terms of name recognition and identity.”

Even though the college’s name appeared in print beneath Washington’s signature, the school said the older logo became “illegible” and “ineffective” when placed in advertisements or other media materials.

As a result, Washington College introduced a new, “more recognizable and distinct” logo in the spring semester.

Here’s what the new logo looks like.

College of Washington

“The new logo provides a distinctive visual element that honors the institution’s history and quality, increases visibility, and provides the flexibility to be used in a variety of sizes without losing recognition,” Washington College said.

Here’s the old man.

College of Washington

“Washington Script remains part of the overall identity system, but will now be used as a complementary visual element that can give materials a more dynamic appearance,” the university said.