Departmental Logo

The Departmental logo was changed in 2008 to ensure that there was a logo that could be uniquely identifiable and brandable. The original Departmental logo was that of the Information Systems Department at Rhodes University (RU), as the East London Campus of the University of Fort Hare (UFH) was originally owned and managed by RU. The Department of Education (DOE) reshuffle of the education sector saw the RU East London Campus falling under the control of the UFH in 2004, and therewith the Department of Information Systems. In 2007, the last RU learners completed their qualifications at the aforementioned campus.

The Department therefore changed the logo in 2008, to begin the process of branding their undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications. The idea for the logo originated from some research into the history of computing when it was discovered that oldest known analogue computer was the Antikythera Mechanism. It was a device that was used to chart the stars, and provide accurate calendar dates in and around 80-82 BCE. The image at the top of the navigation bar is a part of the device, which was discovered roughly two thousand years after it was lost. It took another 100 years for academics and scientists to determine its function. Currently, a project known as the Antikythera Mechanism Research Project is still attempting to discover the secrets of this remarkable device. The fragments can be viewed in the National Archaelogical Museum, in Athens Greece.

We used the image of a fragment of this device to create our logo for the Department, which can be seen at the bottom of the navigation bar. Each element has a meaning, and the image below highlights the composition of the image.

Because our core business is Information Systems, we decided to model the logo after the concept of a basic information system, therefore:

1. Input into the Department (in the form of Academics, Learners, and Resources);
2. Boundary of the Department (where we have no control or influence over the learners studying our courses);
3. Components of our Department (i.e. People, Computer Hardware, Computer Software, and Departmental Processes);
4. Data (which is all the data that moves into and around the Department, and how it integrates with all the various components of our Department); and,
5. Output from the Department (e.g. Our Graduants)

The colours have no special significance other than to tie the logo to the general corporate colours of the University of Fort Hare of yellow and blue.