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Singapore Management University

Last modified: 2023-06-03 by zachary harden
Keywords: singapore | singapore management university | lion | tangram |
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[National University of Singapore] Main flag; SMU Branding Guide (2018) and Zachary Harden, 6 January 2019

[National University of Singapore] Alternative flag; SMU Branding Guide (2018) and Zachary Harden, 6 January 2019

See also:

About SMU

The Singapore Management University (Abbreviation: SMU) is an autonomous university in Singapore. The university provides an American-style education modelled after the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. SMU, Singapore's third public university, was established on 12 January 2000 and is located in the downtown area of Singapore. It has a city campus with a total enrollment of about 10,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and comprises six schools offering undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programmes in Business Administration, Business Analytics, Financial Services, Accountancy, Economics, Information Systems Management, Law and the Social Sciences. The University has over 30 research institutes and centres of excellence, and customised corporate training and lifelong learning for individuals are available through the university’s professional and executive development programmes. SMU is accredited by the AACSB International, EQUIS, and AMBA. (Wikipedia)
Herman Felani M.Y., 9 January 2006 and Dave Fowler, 6 January 2019

Flag description

[National University of Singapore] 2009 flag; image found by Dave Fowler, 6 January 2019

There seems to be two flags that is flown by SMU as captured on a photograph on their website, http://www.smu.edu.sg/oaa/index.asp.

The logo of the university features a lion-head which was created out of the pieces of a Chinese puzzle, the Tangram. Further explanation on the lion-head emblem is presented at their website, http://www.smu.edu.sg/aboutsmu/smu_logo01.asp.

The basic design of their flags feature the "Informal Operational Signature" of the university, which incorporates the lion-head with the initials of the university (SMU) on the right. The "formal operational signature" includes the entire university title, "Singapore Management University", in addition to the lion-head and 'SMU' initials. See http://www.smu.edu.sg/aboutsmu/smu_logo02.asp.

The SMU flags as captured in the photograph has a blue field or a white field, with the informal operational signature appearing in white or blue respectively. I'm uncertain however why the university has adopted two flags of differing colours, or if their status differ if any is the case.

While National University of Singapore and SMU's flags are different where colours and field divisions are concerned, I can't help but notice that they are essentially quite similar in that both feature their "signatures" on their flags even in a similar arrangement; the university emblem on the left and the initials on the right. It remains to be seen if Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will also adopt this pattern for their flag, if they choose to have one, now that they too have a corporate signature in a similar style to NUS and SMU. See http://www.ntu.edu.sg/CorpComms/Corporate+Identity/The+NTU+Logo/.
Herman Felani M.Y., 9 January 2006

Dave Fowler's picture solves one of the questions posed by Herman Felani M.Y. on 9 January 2006 about the "Informal Operational Signature" flag. The case of different two-color flags was also captured in 2015 at their main campus. However, I think based from another angle, this was done more for aesthetics than anything else.
Currently, the flag that was presented by Dave Fowler's in his photo is no longer used. According to a branding guide (dated January 2018), there are not only flags for the university as a whole but also each division has their own flag. Starting from page 117 to page 120 (of the pdf), you can see the flag patterns and construction specifications. I am not certain when this switch-over for colors or design happened, but according to https://mediacast.smu.edu.sg/media/Designing+the+SMU+logo/0_ue0seix8 this was the second logo of the university since its founding. The other thing of note is the flags are determined to be in the ratio of 3x5 in these specifications, even though the national flag is 2:3. The Pantone colors for the main flag are 2766 for blue and 873 for gold; the font used for the university name is Trajan.
Zachary Harden, 6 January 2019

Divisional

There are six divisions (schools) within the SMU system, each with their own color and their own flags and banners. The schools and associated colors (with Pantone codes) are as follows:

  • School of Accountancy (Warm Red, Pantone 1955)
  • School of Information Systems (Deep Yellow, Pantone 1245)
  • Lee Kong Chian School of Business (Warm Blue, Pantone 7462)
  • School of Law (Royal Purple, Pantone 2627)
  • School of Economics (Deep Turquoise, Pantone 315)
  • School of Social Sciences (Emerald Green, Pantone 3425)

    • As for the flags of the schools, they are listed on page 120 of the 2018 Branding Guide. The main university logo, in full color, is at the bottom left, while the top right is colored with the school color and the name of the school in white. The division between the two flags is a curve, supposedly mimicking the head of the lion.
    Zachary Harden, 6 January 2019

    Gonfalons

    Page 117 and 118 of the 2018 Branding Guide allows for the use of gonfalons by the main university itself and by the six schools under the SMU umbrella. Each school's banner has the same color scheme as their school flag, yet the name of the school is placed below the main SMU logo. There are banners made for each graduation class as well.
    Zachary Harden, 6 January 2019