The Visual Identity of the University Logo:
Analysis of the elements of Sabha University’s logo:
The logo of Sabha University, like any other logo, is a non-spoken language that differs from spoken language where we understand the meaning through the centrality of the message. This means that all speakers of a language understand the meaning in a centralized and unified way through interpretation. In contrast, the meaning of a logo or icon depends on interpretation, which is the focus of semiotics, a field that studies symbols. (Symbols) do not have an explicit meaning but rather a hidden one.
Before studying the (symbolic) significance of the University’s logo, we need to know the elements of the logo that represent the surface structure. These elements are as follows:
- The blue color that surrounds the logo from the bottom, left, and right.
- The two ears of wheat resting on the edges of the book from right to left.
- The sea that surrounds the logo until it reaches the sides of the word “read.”
- The silver color that comes after the sea in the form of a circle.
- The sun that represents light and radiance.
- The book, which forms the base of the logo.
- The inkwell.
- The pen.
- If the logo is placed upside down, it reveals the face of a lion.
Semiotic analysis is a method of interpreting symbols and signs to understand their meaning. Here are the English translations of the symbols and signs mentioned in the text:
- The color blue symbolizes generosity, clarity, life, death, and capacity. This is embodied by Sabha University, which has a scientific capacity for students to succeed or fail based on their academic ability. The sea represents both beautiful living and death, as well as the end and nothingness. Additionally, the blue sky represents happiness and expansiveness, which is reflected in Sabha University’s reach, where African, Arab, Filipino, and Japanese students have studied.
- Two wheat spikes symbolize abundance, nourishment, fertility, and a bountiful harvest, which is reflected in the university’s scientific achievements. The spikes pivot on the edges of a book, demonstrating that the book is the source of life for wheat as well as knowledge.
- The color silver symbolizes purity and radiance, similar to dawn. It’s called “al-fajra” in Libyan dialects.
- The silver lining around the logo indicates overall clarity and brilliance in all areas of the university’s activities.
- The sun represents light, radiance, and the spread of knowledge to all parts of the world, much like the sun that shines in the sky and covers the earth.
- The book placed at the base of the logo represents education, and the openness of the book demonstrates the clarity of methodology and the educational process, as well as equality among students studying at the university.
- The inkwell symbolizes generosity, capacity, and open-mindedness. Ink as a linguistic substance signifies broadness, and the inkwell, as the source of this ink, represents extensive knowledge. Ink comes in different colors, indicating different areas of specialization within the university, along with quality and skill.
- The pen is the foundation of knowledge. In the Holy Quran, Allah swore by the pen and writing. The pen is one of the pillars of civilization, especially in Islamic civilization, along with the sword.
- The lion’s face that appears when the logo is inverted from top to bottom symbolizes the strength of the university’s graduates, the strength and authenticity of the university, the power of academic curricula, and the lack of leniency for lazy or unsuccessful students.
“These are the clear features of the semiotic analysis of the university logo, and we have relied on interpretation, and interpretation is a fingerprint that belongs to each individual. However, different types of interpretation indicate differences in perspectives while agreeing on meaning. For example, the sea can be seen as vastness, clarity, generosity, or power, and all of these revolve around one meaning, as Almotanaby says:
“Like the sea that throws jewels to the near, generously and sends clouds to the far.”
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