Seoul National University's College of Humanities has unveiled a new visual identity. Design studio Picant designed this identity, simplifying and reinterpreting the existing "Humanities" emblem in a more linear and refined manner, resulting in a more contemporary image. This project, which combines tradition and modernity, focuses on capturing the essence of scholarship while also expressing the diversity and vitality of the community.
The new symbol, which fills the plane surrounding "Humanities" with a variety of colors, symbolizes the individuality and energy of the College of Humanities members. This intuitively reveals the diverse identities of the university community and the dynamism of academic exchange. Furthermore, reflecting Seoul National University's UI guidelines, the primary colors—navy, gold, and gray—are used to reinforce unity and identity.
The pattern derived from the logo's shape was designed to be flexibly applied to a variety of media and situations by varying the color and proportions. This, in turn, establishes a scalable visual language system that goes beyond a single logo, a key achievement of this identity.
This project was driven by the university's identity, and the design was handled by Song Min-seon and Choi Jung-won, with Kang Min-jeong as an assistant. Picant, expressing the deep-rooted values of the humanities through simple forms while simultaneously infusing them with a modern sensibility, visually suggests the future direction of Seoul National University's College of Humanities.
This work, unveiled in 2025, is considered an example of harmonizing tradition and innovation, capturing the university's philosophy and community spirit in a new visual language.
