The M in Ann Arbor

I just came back from school and noticed I had dressed "nicely" today: I had been wearing half pants and odd socks all day long!! (It's too late...)

After I moved, I had been very busy with this and that: Detroit, Canada, training for the new employee (in Japan), new semester, and Chicago... Well, I think I got a lot of interesting stories to tell during the few weeks of storm (I did not have any time to write a new blog entry though... :roll: ) I will talk about these stories after I organize the information ◎



OK, I write on an easy topic today - Ｍ.

We see many Ms inside and around the Umich campus. What do I mean by "M"? In Ann Arbor, the letter M is... how do I say... the symbol of the University of Michigan. The Block M, painted maize (One of our two school colors!! Another one is blue.), is the most often-used Umich logo and "one of the most widely recognized marks in the country" (quoted from U-M Trademark Guidelines by the University of Michigan Identity Guidelines ). You can see some versions of the Umich logo, including the Block M, by clicking on the first link above (or this one → U-M Trademark Guidelines) and scrolling down to the middle.

The Block M is utilized widely: For example, on the top of the Umich Web site, as a design of university items, and in the flags around the campus. It is also used by University programs, Institutes, Departments, and Units for identification. When I first came to A2, I saw these Ms and felt a sense of affinity with Umich because my last name begins with M (silly...)

I was impressed by M the other day: I was using a computer in Engineering Library and saw The College of Engineering logo (on the top of the linked page). It's seemingly the normal Block M, which is just shaded. The shadow, however, forms the letter "E," which represents Michigan Engineering!!! 8O Wow, who came up with this idea!? Wonderful... I could not get the info. about who made it, but I found the following quotation from CoE (College of Engineering) Web site.

This three dimensional form symbolizes the science of engineering, implying shape, form, light, and transformation - the transformation of scientific knowledge into practical use, of student into engineer, and the possibilities into reality.

― quoted from CoE Logo Downloads by College of Engineering, University of Michigan　―

Hmmm, this small logo implies so many meanings... lovely :oops:

By the way, the seal is different from these logos. (see The Seals of the University of Michigan in Bentley Historical Library Web page).

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