Michael Swanson wrote:
http://www.vaduq.org/img/title.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Large_Crest_with_spirit_transparent.gif
Blazon, anyone?
Something like:
Sable, a flank Aquamarine, in chief the word in Latin letters "MIND" argent and in sinister a sinister canton Or conjoined to a bar enhanced Gules, the bar and flank debruised by the word in Latin letters "HEART" Argent, the bar conjoined to a bar over all Azure charged with the words "& SPIRIT" in Latin letters Argent; in dexter base an open book in front aspect surmounted in sinister by four torteaux in cross conjoined by two bendlets and two scarps, the book between issuant from the flank four demi-lozenges Or and in sinister chief a dove volant Argent.
The precendent for Aquamarine is the arms of the Jewish Autonomous Region.
Definitely not a candidate to the AHS design award nomination
Michael Swanson wrote:
Blazon, anyone?
No thanks. IMO there comes a time when a design departs so far from heraldic norms that it can no longer be said to be a coat of arms. This, I believe, is one of those times.
Pity, because Duquesne University’s arms are quite attractive, thanks in part to some design advice from the great Pierre de Chaignon La Rose. I can’t find a good graphic, but they are Argent a lion rampant Sable holding in his forepaws a closed book Gules, on a chief per pale Azure and Gules the dove of the Holy Spirit displayed wings expanded proper.
Joseph McMillan wrote:
No thanks. IMO there comes a time when a design departs so far from heraldic norms that it can no longer be said to be a coat of arms. This, I believe, is one of those times.
Well, the coat’s design is hideously terrible and completely ridiculous, but it can be blazoned, and I believe my blazon at least came close to doing it.
I’m sorry to resurrect the memory of this thread, but it was very interesting to me, since I am an alumnus of Vincentian Academy. While I was a student there I came up with some proposals for a more heraldically correct coat of arms for the school. I’ll have to do some digging and see if I still have those around.
It will be noted with satisfaction that since its break with Duquesne University, Vincentian no longer uses the "coat of arms" logo-thing that was the subject of this thread.
For those who want to see the monstrosity, perhaps to compare it to Daniel’s intrepid attempt at a blazon, and since the image hosting for the original embedded images seems to have expired:
Yikes! I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, just beasuce a design fits on a shield, it doen’t make it heraldry.
Indeed, this is not heraldry but a shieldshaped logo.
steven harris;86750 wrote:
Yikes! I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, just beasuce a design fits on a shield, it doen’t make it heraldry.
Nor does the fact that, with enormous effort, it can be blazoned.
Here is a counter proposal I just whipped up:
http://schrenk.us/coas/Vincentian Academy.png
(I know it’s sort of cliché for a book to be the main charge in a school’s coat of arms, but something tells me this would appeal to the administration; also, it allows the motto to be salvaged from the other logo-thing.)
The main tinctures, or and azure, are an allusion to the school’s colors of blue and gold. The charges in the chief, the crescent and martlets, refer to the arms of Louis de Marillac, the father of Louise de Marillac who founded the order that would in turn found Vincentian High School in 1932.
The book and motto is obvious. The Chi Rho inscribed on the heart in base is an allusion to the Vincentian Sisters of Charity’s motto Caritas Christi urget nos ("The charity of Christ impels us").
Setting aside the need to appeal to people who approved the logo atrocity thing, I’d make the chi-rho-heart the main charge and move the motto to a scroll. I have nothing against the use of books in academic arms, cliche or not, but in this case I think there’s just a little too much going on.
(I must say, paraphrasing the words Robert Bolt put in Henry VIII’s mouth in A Man for All Seasons, "Your taste in heraldic design is excellent. It exactly coincides with my own.")
Joseph McMillan;86776 wrote:
Setting aside the need to appeal to people who approved the logo atrocity thing, I’d make the chi-rho-heart the main charge and move the motto to a scroll. I have nothing against the use of books in academic arms, cliche or not, but in this case I think there’s just a little too much going on.
(I must say, paraphrasing the words Robert Bolt put in Henry VIII’s mouth in A Man for All Seasons, "Your taste in heraldic design is excellent. It exactly coincides with my own.")
I actually thought about putting the Chi-Rho heart on the book, but certain metal-on-metal combinations made that impractical. I think clearing out the book altogether, as you recommended, was a good move:
http://schrenk.us/coas/Vincentian Academy 2.png