Editorial | Emblem an expensive lesson for Hong Kong university
- Ill-fated ‘brand refresh’ may have cost Chinese University of Hong Kong some HK$4 million, but it paid a heavier price in the controversy that followed
What is so important about a logo that just a slight design tweak may cause so much trouble? In the controversy surrounding Chinese University and its new emblem, which was ditched amid strong criticism a week after being introduced in 2022, artistic judgment and procedural issues were not the only factors at play.
It is time to learn and move on.
The recent disclosure that some HK$4 million was spent on the logo as part of a “brand refresh” may have reinforced the impression that the university had gone down a costly and untimely path to mark its 60th anniversary.
Upon receiving a report by an independent consultant reviewing the matter, the university council expressed disappointment on what it described as “the errors of judgment” by management in undertaking the project, especially on its decision to “bypass the council” and to “conduct very limited and inadequate consultations” with key stakeholders on the change.
The governing body also found it unacceptable that management had not fully cooperated with the council in reviewing the project. It noted that university president Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, who resigned earlier but will stay until early next year, had said he would bear all responsibility for the affair.