Kampus Hybernská has over the years grown to be a major focal point for Charles University events and Monday, which saw the launch of the new academic year, was no different. Attendees included not just students but key university management including Rector Milena Králíčková. The rector and others were on hand to introduce the university’s new promotional logo – not to be confused with CU's famous seal featuring school founder Holy Roman Emperor and Czech King Charles IV kneeling before St. Wenceslas.
The logo, a stylised and simple image of the crown Charles IV wore, “aims to preserve respect for tradition while being light, modern, and flexible. That's how our university wants to be,” Rector Králíčková explained to Forum. Others moved to allay fears the simplified crown would outrank or overshadow the more famous traditional seal - used as the school’s main image until now.
“We are definitely not erasing our proud historical seal,” the Vice-Rector for Public Relations Martin Vlach said in his speech. He explained that unifying a visual style that could be used comprehensively and effectively used for all types of communication channels, materials, and promotional publications, was not easy. “With the new promotional logo, we refer to the most valuable item – the crown worn by [the university’s] founder Charles IV... Charles University is primarily seventeen faculties. I believe that the new logo can unite our broad community," he said.
Jan Pilik (at the mic) and Martin Vlach (right) present CU's new visual style.
Respecting tradition with a capital T
The promotional logo was designed for Charles University by the Autority graphic design studio. “It took three-quarters of a year of work,” graphic designer Jan Pilik said. From the very first meetings, he knew that it would not be possible to experiment with abstract trends that would have a brief shelf life. “That's why we decided to openly refer to the history of Charles University with the logo. We subordinated everything to respect for the seal and tried to ensure a unified style across all faculties. Above all, students will hopefully enjoy the future with this visual, which has the potential to further develop,” he added.
AI-composed hymn
The launch of the new promotional visual style or logo was far from the only item on the agenda of the first day of the academic year 2023-24 at Hybernská. Before the opening ceremony itself, at which the activities of the Kampus were presented by its director Ema Pospíšilová and the manager of the Hyb4City university project Marcel Kraus, visitors could listen to the Kampus Hymn, composed with the help of artificial intelligence by Ondřej Hrách, a musician and founder of the Aignos project, which focuses on getting out information about AI.
In the main hall, finalists of FameLab took to the stage. There was also an Open Day of Didaktikon, a guided tour of Kampus Hybernská, a presentation of student associations, a Back to School Pub quiz, and a performance by the band Toot Ensemble, inspired by electronic dance music.
Shining through
The ceremonial toast to the new school year could not have been made on the premises of Kampus Hybernská by anyone more qualified than the rector of Charles University herself: “When I see all of you here like this, I perceive something that I like to call an academic family… I wish all of us in this academic family to have good open relationships, to enjoy meeting each other, and to collectively make Charles University stronger than we knew it, perhaps as students or young academics. So that we create a Charles University that we can all be proud of. Just as the new beautiful logo shines for us now, may the new academic year ‘shine’ with new encounters, friendships, experiences, and the knowledge and skills you will gain,” the rector said, addressing students of CU.
