Universidad Provincial de Mar del Plata was created on 19 October 1961 by Decreto Nº 11723 of the Province of Buenos Aires, with the goal of training professionals in scientific, technical and humanistic disciplines.[1] In 1975, the institution was nationalized and became the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), absorbing the Universidad Católica “Stella Maris”.[1] The visual identity that originated during the provincial era has continued into the national university’s branding.
Design and History
The emblem of the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata is a blue, circular mark featuring three points that resemble a wave.[2] According to the university’s official history of the symbol, the design originated in October 1968, when the then-Rector initiated the creation of the mark.[2] The concept was described as “a circle (the University) and a wave (the university entities)”.[2]
The university’s institutional image manual notes that the tradition of using the isotipo (the wave symbol) dates “practically from its beginnings when it was still provincial”.[3] The manual describes the escudo (shield) as the identifying symbol that acts as the institutional emblem of the university.[3]
While the designer Ricardo Blanco (1940-2017) is sometimes associated with the university’s identity, available sources confirm his role in creating the design program at the Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata in 1988 and developing its first postgraduate course in 1987, but do not document him as the creator of the 1968 logo.[4] The designer of the original 1968 mark is not identified in the official sources reviewed.
Meaning and Symbolism
The official history of the symbol explains its core meaning: the circle represents the University, while the wave represents the university community or entities.[2] The wave motif also connects to the city of Mar del Plata, whose name means “Sea of the Plata” in Spanish, and the university’s coastal location.
The institutional image manual states that in constructing the isotipo, the university sought to represent “the tradition and excellence that have characterized this Institution”.[5]
Typography and Design
The university’s brand manual specifies that the three concepts composing the name (Universidad, Nacional and Mar del Plata) are written in six words using the Palatino Linotype typeface in uppercase and bold, divided into two centered lines.[3] The manual also describes the wave isotipo as being used in the construction of the brand, drawing on the tradition of the institution’s visual identity.[5]
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