University College Dublin yesterday unveiled its new crest as part of a €30,000 rebranding of the university.
Following "extensive" market research among students, staff, graduates and the outside community, the university said it had decided to adopt UCD as its name. This means the prefix will now be used before all academic and research unit names.
The introduction of the crest - including a harp on a green background with the word Dublin and three flaming castles - coincides with an ongoing restructuring of the college. This partly explains the relatively low cost of the rebranding.
"The university is saying clearly that the name by which is is known is UCD," it said in a statement. "The inclusion of the UCD name helps to create a 'master brand' that replaces the multitude of individual identities that had grown up over the years."
The old crest, based on the original heraldic crest bestowed on the university in 1911, will be used for ceremonial purposes.