In the earliest days of Aggie Square, a logo or wordmark was necessary to help give the new project an identity.

While the initial logo, a “lettermark” consisting of a UC Davis-gold box with an off-centered UC Davis-blue letter A, was a distinct look for Aggie Square, more could certainly be said about the innovation hub. An A with a square certainly did not require much decoding, but it didn’t put forth much of a message either.

Thus, UC Davis senior graphic designer Jay Leek took on the task of creating a new design, capturing Chancellor Gary S. May’s image of what Aggie Square will be: “(A place) that leverages the university’s strengths to become a catalyst for economic change, create jobs for our graduates, and help spur the economic vitality of the broader Sacramento region.”

Beginning with the three squares in the newly designed logo, each is nested within the other and can be seen as symbolic of Aggie Square’s three pillars of partnership between university, industry and community.

“The nested squares in the new Aggie Square mark are a literal reflection of the name,” Leek said. “The elements within the larger square — two more squares — might suggest architecture resting on a stable ground; or ground, containing buildings, containing people or ideas.”

Rotation of the squares, he explained, illustrates movement. “The sequential rotation of each square creates a sense of motion to reflect the dynamism of the place.”

Leek also sees the motion as breaking up the “rigid linearity” of the elements, and added, “The audience may then see it also as a circle, the simple and versatile emblem of humanism, welcome, idealism and stability.”

Bob Segar, planning director for Aggie Square was inspired when he first saw the new logo. He immediately picked up on the theme of movement.

“I agree with Jay’s depiction of motion,” Segar said. “Part of the appeal of a square is that it is a stable form, and people rely on the university to be one of our most stable institutions. But Jay’s design also put the square in motion, more specifically, in forward motion, which communicates the forward-looking, dynamic intention of Aggie Square.”