![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Coat-of-arms-Heidelberg-stone-300x271.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSomething that we see regularly is an institution or a university wanting to discard the coat of arms that they have and substitute for it a logo. The usual reason given for this change is that a coat of arms is \u201ca little old-fashioned,\u201d that it has \u201can older look to it.\u201d By this is generally meant that it\u2019s \u201coutdated\u201d and not \u201ccontemporary,\u201d and that they\u2019d like to change it for something \u201cmore relevant\u201d and \u201cmodern.\u201d (Yes, those are all real quotes by different people talking about their organization\u2019s coat of arms and why it ought to be changed.) As it often happens, these institutions will sometimes pay hundreds or even thousands of Euros (or pounds sterling, or US dollars) to a graphic design company to create a new \u201cbrand\u201d which will boost their image as relevant to contemporary times.<\/p>\n
Among the difficulties of taking this course of action, however, in addition to the (often excessive) cost, is that in just a few years, their \u201cmodern,\u201d \u201ccontemporary\u201d logo will itself be \u201coutdated\u201d and have to be replaced, again at high cost, by something even newer.<\/p>\n
I have to wonder, though, if part of this issue lies in the fact that many people believe that a coat of arms is just like a trademark; that it absolutely, positively must be drawn exactly the same way every time it appears. It is true that this is the case with a logo or a trademark; the exact depiction, and even the shades of the colors used, must be the same every time.<\/p>\n
But this is not the case with heraldry, as just a little research can demonstrate. Different artists may draw differing interpretations of a coat of arms; they may use slightly different shades of the colors; they might even choose to display it on a shape other than a shield; and they could certainly draw it in different artistic styles, whether traditional, Baroque, Art Deco, modern, or any other style. None of those things changes the coat of arms itself; it only changes the way it may be perceived.<\/p>\n
As one example of this, let us look at the coat of arms of the City of Heidelberg, Germany, which can be seen in various styles all around in the „Altstadt“, the Old City portion of Heidelberg.<\/p>\n
You can find<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Coat-of-arms-Heidelberg-glass-300x287.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Coat-of-arms-Heidelberg-fabric-279x1024.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Coat-of-arms-Heidelberg-cast-in-metal.png\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-heidelberg-wooden-surface-893x1024-262x300.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-heidelberg-ceramic-panel-685x1024-201x300.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-heidelberg-door-handle.jpg\")
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without even being placed on a shield of any kind (Although on this last they do have the lion holding a scepter and orb, which do not appear in any of the other depictions.)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-heidelberg-carved-693x1024-203x300.jpg\")
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The different styles, from very traditional to Baroque to Art Deco, are easy to see. And this same coat of arms can easily be further \u201cmodernized\u201d in the future to match changing tastes in art and design.<\/p>\n
Another example of how a coat of arms may be \u201cupdated\u201d to meet changing artistic needs can be seen in the depictions of its coat of arms in and around City of Dublin, Ireland. The arms consist of a blue shield with three white castles whose towers are topped with flames. Walking about the central part of the city, these arms can be seen in a very traditional fashion<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-dublin-bicycle-rack-955x1024-280x300.jpg\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-dublin-public-building.jpg\")
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on many of the city\u2019s street lamps, both colored and monochrome<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-dublin-tradtional.jpg\")
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on waste receptacles placed about the city<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-dublin-simplified.jpg\")
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on city-owned services sites and vehicles (again, both colored in blue and white or monochromatic in black and white)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-dublin-modern-2.png\")
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and finally<\/p>\n
in metal access covers on the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pro-heraldica.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/coat-of-arms-dublin-stylized-fashion-769x1024-225x300.jpg\")
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Each version, traditional and modernized, is the same coat of arms that the city of Dublin has used for centuries. (The arms were officially granted in 1607, but elements of it appear in the city\u2019s seal as early as the 13th Century.) Notice also that these different depictions are often placed on entirely different shapes of display, from traditional shield shapes and ovals to horizontal rectangles with semi-circular \u201cbites\u201d taken out of the corners.<\/p>\n
There is no need to pay some graphic design firm hundreds or even thousands of Euros\/pounds\/dollars for a new logo that is \u201ccontemporary\u201d and \u201cupdated.\u201d Simply redraw the arms that already exist into a more modern style, and there you have the \u201cnew\u201d brand, which is really just a new version of the \u201coutdated\u201d and \u201cold-fashioned\u201d brand!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Something that we see regularly is an institution or a university wanting to discard the coat of arms that they have and substitute for it a logo. The usual reason given for this change is that a coat of arms is \u201ca little old-fashioned,\u201d that it has \u201can older look to it.\u201d By this is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":49861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[164],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n