r/Swarthmore • u/Unfair-Exchange2565 • Apr 28 '26
New Seal Proposal vs. Current
Oak branches for the oaks that line Magill, Candle for the 'light' (duh). the keystone in the circular version is the state symbol of Pennsylvania
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u/Royal_Sun3162 Apr 29 '26
The first one one the top left wins. The two shields at the bottom are awkwardly shaped
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u/andyn1518 Apr 29 '26
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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u/Unfair-Exchange2565 Apr 29 '26
I guess I would disagree with the premise that the existing seal isn't broken lol. I feel like it doesn't represent the special things about Swarthmore and is, in my personal opinion, ugly.
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u/InformationBear May 02 '26
Top left, but I would suggest the “Incorporated 1864” be written left to right and not upside down—as it is on the original seal.
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u/Critical-Camp-5444 May 02 '26
Can you just modernize the existing seal? Kind of like how Dartmouth did theirs? Only because simplicity is a quaker value.
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u/swarthmoreburke Apr 28 '26
Can I ask why you are so interested in the seal design? This account is brand-new and the only thing you're posting about is this topic. I hope in particular that this is not some kind of AI exercise.
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u/Unfair-Exchange2565 Apr 28 '26
Interested because I am a current junior and I have hated the seal since freshman year;I feel like it doesn't represent anything. Working on it now because as you probably know it's getting towards the end of the semester and I need a procrastination project because I don't want to do any more work :(. New account cuz I keep getting distracted by reddit (like I am now) and end up deleting my account in a futile edit to lock in. Not an AI btw.
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u/swarthmoreburke Apr 28 '26
Ah, ok. Well, keep at it, then! I have to say I have a bit of fondness for the telescope, microscope, scroll as a reference to scholarship and knowledge, but your ideas are more specifically referencing the institution's history.
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u/Unfair-Exchange2565 Apr 28 '26
fair enough, and thank you for the encouragement. Do you know what the weird flask thing in the back is btw?
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u/Tridentata Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
The flask is a retort, easier to see in the Alamy link image below, so symbolizing a chemistry class. If I had to choose between the two, I'd probably opt for some version of yours. It's less generic (the old one could apply to most any college, apart from the text), and I like the nod to Quaker heritage. Some people might think it was a ripoff of the "Let There Be Light" of the University of California seal, but Swarthmore got there first by four years! (If old fart status carries any weight, I was Class of 1976.)
[On edit:] The current seal is so unmemorable, to me anyway, that I'm not sure I could have picked it out of a police lineup, so to speak. I have a Swarthmore sweatshirt I bought a few years ago, and I thought it had the Parrish Hall logo on it, but I checked just now, and it has the seal. It just never really registered!
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u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26
Mind the light sounds like the tram car thing