New Logo Developed for the Murchison Chair of Free Enterprise
The
Murchison Chair of Free Enterprise initiated an effort to create a logo
encompassing the vision and spirit of the Chair. The vision of the Chair is to
create and nurture a culture of technology innovation, creativity, leadership
and enterprise at The University of Texas at Austin and the global community
that we serve. To capture this vision, three elements were combined in the
design of the new logo: Leonardo da Vinci (possibly the world’s best known
engineering entrepreneur), the light of ideas and inspiration, and a micro-chip.
Leonardo, born over 500 year ago, was a world-renowned artist, scientist, engineer, and entrepreneur. He carried out research in fields ranging from architecture to engineering, from anatomy, to zoology.
Leonardo was an inventor, converting his understanding of scientific and engineering principles to products (ranging from military weapons to bicycles and helicopters). He valued scientific observation, saying that one should perform an experiment and make up one’s own mind.
His activities sought to understand societal needs (and potential customers) and to develop products and services to meet those needs. For example, in search of new challenges he entered the service of the Duke of Milan in 1482. Leonardo understood that Milan did not only need an artisan but also an engineer and architect. According, he developed the needed skill to be able to serve the Duke in all of these capacities for the seventeen years he was in Milan.
The light bulb as a symbol for creative ideas is deeply ingrained in the memory of our culture. It represents the inspired, inventive bright mind and the spark that ignites a new concept. For the new logo it helps reinforce the Chair’s tenets of innovation and creativity.
Finally the micro-chip symbolizes current technology leadership as we begin the twenty-first century.