UCM Logo

UCM Logo PNG

The heraldry of the oldest Spanish university, operating since 1293, is represented in the UCM logo, adhering to graphic rules and principles. It reflects the university’s location, name, and the heraldic swan, symbolically echoing the founder’s name, forming unity and harmony in the emblem.

Meaning and History

The company’s logo plays not only on the name but also the place of the university’s founding. The town of Alcalá de Henares, where the estate for the campus was purchased, is called Complutum in Latin. This variant became the basis for the higher education institution’s name.

Similarly, there’s an echo in the depiction of a swan. Cardinal Cisneros’s surname, under whose order the university was opened, sounds like Cisne. Therefore, the university’s emblem depicts a noble snow-white bird under whose wing is UCM. This distinctive sign, together with the logo, forms a unified symbolism where all elements complement each other harmoniously. As a result, the image attributes act in the interest of the ancient university, highlighting its high status.

What is UCM?

UCM is an acronym formed from the phrase “Universidad Complutense de Madrid,” the Spanish name for Madrid’s Complutense University, the oldest university in the world. The educational institution was founded in 1293 and received the right to confer doctoral degrees in 1857. Today, it offers a wide range of educational programs and conducts scientific research.

A mandatory logo element is the expanded name, located at the bottom. The text structure is tiered and broken into three fragments. The first – “Universidad”- is medium-sized and occupies 60% of the field, written in capital letters. The second – “Complutense,” occupies 100% of the allotted space and is made in large font. The third – “Madrid,” is small, placed on 40% of the logo, indicating the university’s location.

The three-line structure of the key phrase visually balances the emblem, as the massive coat of arms has an elongated shape. Against its background, the university’s name would be unreadable. Moreover, the word “Complutense,” written larger than the rest, immediately catches the eye. This technique was used specifically to focus attention on the genuine name of the city in the Latin variant. This emphasizes the ancientness of the educational institution.

There are a few other brand names with different element distributions. For example, in one of them, the words are stacked vertically, and to the left is a coat of arms with a shield and swan. All letters are uppercase, so they are the same size and look proportional. The largest word is enclosed in a frame, so it’s large and voluminous.

Font and Colors

The key symbol of CSM is the coat of arms, and its main element is the shield. It contains squares of two colors – eight gold and seven red. It has a crown (at the top) and tassels (at the bottom). The latter consists of cords and massive tassels of a silver shade, as well as a central stamp with three inscriptions. The top – is “Libertas,” the middle – is “Perfundet,” and the bottom – is “Omnia Luce.” The color of the letters is brown.

Pendants with large tassels protrude from behind the shield and are pointed downwards. As a sign of royal power, the crown is painted in gold and studded with precious stones. The background is a splayed swan, which seems to protect the university’s coat of arms. The white bird’s head with a red beak is proudly turned to the right.

All elements are surrounded by a ribbon with the legendary inscription “Universitas” (left), “Complutensis” (right), and “Matritensis” (on both sides in the center). The shape of the original border is a pointed shield. The font used is called Filosofia. A variant of this font is used in all other phrases. It’s considered individual and officially registered as part of the text. It has been equated to the university’s original symbolism.

UMC’s primary corporate color is red. It’s beautifully complemented by silver, gold, light yellow, black, and white. The latter is considered the background, but sometimes it’s replaced by black, against which the rest of the palette looks contrastingly bright. Only the shield is fully painted, while a thin dark line outlines the remaining elements.

UCM color codes