UPSA 60th Anniversary Logo Design Competition

1.0 Background

The University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) is marking 60 years of excellence in education and professional development. To celebrate this milestone, UPSA invites students, alumni, faculty, staff, and creative minds everywhere to participate in the UPSA 60th Anniversary Logo Design Competition. We seek a memorable, inspiring logo that will serve as the official emblem for the UPSA@60 celebrations. This brief provides guidelines and requirements for the competition, which has been formulated in line with the University’s ethos.

2.0 Eligibility

The competition is open to all, especially the UPSA community, professional designers, and anyone with a passion for design. There is no entry fee. Participants may enter individually or as teams. In the case of a team, a primary contact person (team leader) must be identified, and all team members will jointly be recognised as creators of the winning design if selected.

3.0 Theme and Inspiration

The logo must reflect the official UPSA@60 Anniversary Theme: “Six Decades of Transformative Education: Empowering Africa’s Future Business Leaders.” The University’s motto, “Scholarship with Professionalism”, and its reputation as a centre of academic and professional excellence may also inform the design’s symbolism.

4.0 Creative Freedom

Participants are encouraged to unleash their creativity. There are no restrictions on typefaces, design styles, or symbols; designers have broad artistic freedom to conceptualise the anniversary logo. Use of the existing UPSA institutional logo or its elements is not required (unless specifically desired by the designer), so long as the new design reflects UPSA’s identity. We are looking for an original and innovative design that honours the University’s legacy while looking to the future.

5.0 Design Guidelines

5.1 Relevance and Originality: The logo should represent UPSA’s identity and ethos in a fresh way. It must be your original work; unique, distinctive, and not a derivative of any existing designs.

5.2 Use of Colour: To ensure brand consistency, designers should preferably utilise UPSA’s official colours in the logo. The primary UPSA Blue and UPSA Gold are integral to the University’s visual identity. Specifically, UPSA Navy Blue: C=100, M=93, Y=33, K=51(PANTONE 281C); UPSA Gold: C=10, M=28, Y=100, K23 (PANTONE 1245C). While you are free to be creative with shades and complementary colours, the final design must be compatible with these official colours. If you choose to use additional colours, they should complement the official palette and maintain a professional look.

5.2.1 Colour Mode: Work in CMYK colour mode for the vector design to ensure accurate printing results, but also ensure it can be converted to RGB for digital use. In other words, the winner will eventually need to provide both CMYK (print-ready) and RGB (screen-ready) versions. For the submission, an RGB preview (PNG/JPEG) is needed for judging, but the underlying design should be adaptable to CMYK.

5.3 No Element Restrictions: You may use any typography or graphic elements that strengthen your concept. No required font or slogan must appear, aside from anything related to the official theme or “UPSA@60” if you choose to include it. Ensure any text in the logo (e.g., “UPSA@60”, the theme tagline, etc.) is clear and legible.

5.4 Versatility and Simplicity: Aim for a design that is versatile and easy to reproduce in different contexts.

6.0 Submission Process and Requirements

To ensure high-quality reproduction of the winning logo, submissions must adhere to these technical requirements:

6.1 File Submission: Initially, entrants will submit their design as a PNG/JPEG for easy viewing by judges. However, the winner must provide the original editable vector file (.AI, .EPS, or high-quality PDF) immediately upon announcement. All fonts and linked graphics and images in the vector file should be embedded to avoid font substitution issues.

6.2 No Watermarks: The submission should NOT include any watermarks or signatures on the design. During judging, entries will be anonymised to avoid bias.

6.3 File Naming: Please name your file(s) with your surname or team name (e.g., “Doe_UPSA60logo” and “Doe_UPSA60logo. You will also be required to fill in your details in the submission form, so the files themselves should only contain your name in the filename, not on the design.

6.4 How to Submit: All entries must be submitted electronically. To participate, complete the official Submission Declaration https://bit.ly/LogoDeclaration and send it along with your logo design file(s) as follows:

6.4.1 Submission Package: Each entry should include:

1. Signed Declaration Form to affirm the entrant’s agreement to the competition rules. Download Declaration Here: https://bit.ly/LogoDeclaration
2. Design Description: Describe the concept behind your logo, the elements used, and how it reflects the UPSA@60 theme and the University’s spirit. Submitted Logos without this description will be rejected.

6.4.2 Submission Method: Follow this link: https://bit.ly/LOGOSUBMISSION to submit your entry. Your files should not be larger than 10MB. You should receive a confirmation email within 2 business days of submission; if not, please follow up by sending an email to: [email protected] with the subject line: “UPSA@60 Logo Contest Submission – [Your Name]”.

6.4.3 Number of Entries: Each participant or team may submit up to two (2) distinct logo designs for consideration. If submitting two entries, please send them separately with distinct description text for each.

7.0 Disqualification

An entry will be disqualified if it does not meet the submission requirements, or if it is found to violate any rules. UPSA reserves the right to reject any entry that is defamatory, offensive, or not in keeping with the University’s values.

8.0 Judging and Evaluation Criteria

All submissions will be evaluated by an impartial and fair panel of judges appointed by the UPSA@60 Planning Committee. The panel will include representatives from UPSA leadership, faculty, alumni, and professional graphic design or marketing experts. The identity of designers will be concealed during the judging phase to ensure focus on the design quality.

The evaluation of the logo designs will be based on the following criteria:

• Concept & Originality: How creative and original is the idea? Does the logo present a unique concept that stands out from typical anniversary logos?
• Relevance to Theme: How well does the design reflect the UPSA@60 theme and message? The logo should visually communicate aspects of the 60th anniversary – whether that’s the number 60, a sense of celebration, continuity of UPSA’s legacy, or the University’s mission and values.
• Aesthetic Appeal: The overall visual appeal of the logo. Is it attractive, professional, and memorable?
• Versatility & Scalability: As noted in the guidelines, the logo will be used in various sizes and formats. A great entry will be versatile for digital use (websites, social media avatars, video watermarks) and physical use (print media, merchandise, large banners) without loss of quality or meaning.
• Alignment with UPSA Branding: While creativity is encouraged, the design should still feel like it belongs to UPSA. This includes appropriate use of UPSA colours and possibly integrating elements reminiscent of UPSA’s identity (for example, hints of the University’s crest shape, or subtle nods to UPSA’s symbolism like the “Akoben” horn or shield, only if done in a creative, non-obligatory way). This criterion will be about how well the logo complements UPSA’s existing brand when placed alongside the official University logo or on University materials. It should enhance, not clash with, UPSA’s brand image.

9.0 Special Case Scenario

If no entry fully meets the expectations, the University reserves the right not to declare a winner.

10.0 Awards and Prizes Winner: The winning design will be declared the Official UPSA@60 Anniversary Logo and will be used in all anniversary celebrations and publications. The winner will receive:

• A cash prize of 5,000.00 or a Laptop Computer.
• A certificate of achievement from UPSA, presented to the winner at the anniversary launch ceremony.
• An invitation to the UPSA@60 gala dinner, where the winner may be acknowledged publicly.
• Recognition on UPSA’s website, social media, and press releases, including a feature story about the designer and the design inspiration.
• Bragging rights for designing a piece of UPSA history. The winner may include the accomplishment in portfolios/CVs, etc. UPSA will happily provide a reference or confirmation of the achievement if needed.

11.0 Timeline

• Launch of Competition: 25 June 2025
• Deadline for Submissions: 18th July 2025 by 11:59 PM

12. Contact Information

For any inquiries, clarifications, or further information regarding the UPSA 60th Anniversary Logo Design Competition, please contact the UPSA@60 Planning Committee Secretariat:

• mail: [email protected]
• Phone: 0303958571 (during business hours, Mon-Fri, 8:00 am-5:00pm)

Terms and Conditions

By participating in this competition, entrants agree to the following terms and conditions:

• Original Work: All submissions must be the original work of the entrant. The logo must not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, or intellectual property rights of any person or entity. Do not use any copyrighted images, clipart, or fonts in your design unless you have full legal rights to use them and to transfer those rights to UPSA. If you incorporate any elements that are not entirely your own (e.g., a font or a vector asset), you must disclose this in your submission email and ensure that those elements are licensed for free and unlimited commercial use. Failure to disclose third-party content may result in disqualification and legal liability. Plagiarism or copying of existing designs (including heavily inspired derivations of popular designs) is strictly prohibited and will lead to immediate disqualification.

• Intellectual Property Rights: The winning entrant will transfer all intellectual property rights of the logo design to the University of Professional Studies, Accra. As a condition of entry, you must agree that if your design is selected as the winner, UPSA obtains exclusive ownership of the design. This means UPSA will have the right to use, produce, edit, adapt, and distribute the logo in any media as it deems fit, in perpetuity. The winner (and any collaborators in a team) will be required to sign an official agreement confirming the transfer of copyright and any other rights to UPSA. (The Submission Declaration Form you sign with your entry already indicates your agreement to this transfer.) By entering the contest, you grant UPSA the approval to display your entry for the purpose of announcing top results (including entrants who are not selected as winner).

• No Compensation for Non-Winning Entries: Aside from the stated prizes for the eventual winner, no monetary compensation will be given for any entries. Creating a logo submission is voluntary and will not entitle the entrant to any fees or compensation from UPSA (other than the prize if you win).

• Modification of Winning Design: UPSA reserves the right to make slight modifications or refinements to the winning logo, if necessary, for practical use. In any case, the spirit of the design will remain intact, and the original designer will still be credited as the creator. UPSA retains final decision-making power on any alterations.

• Use of Winner’s Name and Image: By entering and in the event of winning, the designer agrees to the use of their name and imagery in publicity surrounding the competition and the UPSA@60 celebrations without additional compensation. The winner might be asked to participate in an interview or photo shoot for UPSA news; nevertheless, participation in promotional activities is appreciated but not mandatory.

• Indemnification: Participants shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless UPSA and its officers, employees, and agents from and against any and all claims, demands, or causes of action of any nature arising out of or relating to the participant’s logo design, including but not limited to claims of intellectual property infringement, plagiarism, or violation of proprietary rights by the submitted design. In plain terms, if your design is found to infringe someone else’s rights, the entrant will be responsible for any legal consequences, not UPSA.

• Acceptance of Rules: By submitting an entry, each participant accepts all the terms and conditions of the competition and agrees to abide by the decisions of the judging panel and UPSA. All decisions regarding the contest, including the selection of winners, are final and not subject to appeal. UPSA reserves the right to disqualify any entry that violates the letter or spirit of the rules or where the entrant is found to have acted in bad faith.

• Cancellation or Changes: UPSA reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition if unforeseen circumstances arise. In the unlikely event of cancellation, UPSA will announce this publicly, and no winner will be chosen. Any changes to rules or deadlines will be communicated to all participants promptly.

By entering this competition, you confirm that you have read and understood all the provisions in this brief, including all T&Cs.