College House Crest
Re-design
illustration | branding
The brief was to re-design a College House crest due to PR sensitivities with the house crest motto terminology of 'feeling & church' and confusion of symbols used within the house crest. The aim was to evolve the house brand identity to honour Saint Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador who was murdered in 1980 for being an outspoken advocate for the poor and oppressed amid a growing civil war in San Salvador.
A new Romero House Crest (inc. motto) were developed following consultation with the College Rector, Principal and Romero Head of House. The latin motto Ne petas plus habere, sed melior fieri was derived from a Oscar Romero quote "aspire not to have more, but to be more". The crest elements and colours were not changed drastically, at the request of the College. The white Host was replaced with palm branches and a rosemary sprig. The palm branches are representative of El Salvador; the place where Romero was serving as Archbishop at the time of his assassination. They are also a symbol of victory, triumph, peace and eternal life - values that Romero was fighting for in standing up against the military dictatorship. The rosemary sprig is representative of love, fidelity and loyalty - 3 values that Romero displayed whilst protecting the poor. Both elements also have a strong connection to the College in that they can be found growing abundantly on the College grounds.
