Lewisham and Southwark College have dropped their LeSoCo identity. Pic: Athena Stylli

The Lewisham and Southwark Colleges, who merged together in 2012, have decided to drop the name they have used for the past two years – LeSoCo.

The college spent an astounding £300,000 on the branding, which they are now abandoning.  They told Design Week that the reason for this decision is that the name has been seen as “ambiguous and not recognisable as a college.”

Elmwood, the design team responsible for the LeSoCo branding, who refer to themselves as ‘the world’s most efficient brand design consultancy’, told Design Week that when designing the logo, they were influenced by other combined names like New York’s Soho, which is short for ‘South of Houston’.

They also said that “the graphic device surrounding the name uses an ‘L’ shape with the corner turned up, ‘revealing an exciting new future’.”

The college’s main website has already got rid of Elmwood’s design, and re-designed it themselves by extending it from “LeSoCo” to, the more understandable, Lewisham Southwark College.

The new logo that the college is using. Pic: Lewisham and Southwark College

Students at the college are upset about the whole situation, saying that they would have rather seen that money spent on other facilities.

Kazmaji, 17, said that he would have liked to see a change “inside the college building.” He said: “The college corridors, canteen and sofas need to be changed.  I think these things are more important to us students.”

Laci, another student, 18, agreed, saying he thinks the name ‘LeSoCo’ is fine and tit isn’t necessary to change it.

Sally Hunt, University College Union General Secretary, said: “How did no one involved with the rebranding spot it was a terrible idea?”

UCU also said that the name change was a waste of public money, and criticised the college management’s handling of the rebranding exercise.