Archive for the ‘Dilworth Legacy’ Category

Excerpt from ‘The Dilworth Legacy’ Volume II, by Murray Wilton. Pages 877-878.

Website Admin Notes: The new Principal referred to in this excerpt is current Principal, Donald MacLean (1997 – ). It would be my understanding from reading this excerpt that we can obtain from the Trust Board two images; the Coat of Arms and ‘Dilworth’ in some sort of package (different colours and sizes). We can then use these on the Website along with the sub-title ‘Old Boys’ Association. What I am not clear on is where the words ‘The’ and ‘Incorporated’ fit in. ie ‘The Dilworth Old Boys’ Association Incorporated’. There is no mention of these in the excerpt. Please use the comments facility at the bottom of this article to express your opinons.

Excerpt starts here:
At the first Board meeting attended by the new Principal, the question of the ‘physical image’ of the School was raised by Trustees who wished to project a particular view of Dilworth through communications, documentation, signage and uniforms. There was a perception that the School’s public image and ‘branding’ were blurred by a plethora of different names, uniforms, ties, letterheads and even different interpretations of the Coat of Arms. At various times the Old Boys’ Association had, without authority it must be said, tampered with the Coat of Arms and produced variations which did not meet with the approval of the Trustees. One particular version of the badge was a simple Dungannon castle with the abbreviation DOBA beneath it. The Trustees, for the first time, established a set of rules for the use of the School Crest.

Coat Of Arms

One of the first signs of the new image was the dropping of the ‘School’ from all letterheads, signs, badges and other insignia. From the end of 1977 the total enterprise, including the Trust Board, went under the simple heading ‘Dilworth’, with sub-titles ‘Trust Board’, ‘Senior Campus’, ‘Junior Campus’ and ‘Old Boys’ Association’. The same policy was applied to signs erected at all entrances to the two campuses and even to the badges embroidered on uniforms and ties. The new image was professionaly designed and featured a new styled version of the word ‘Dilworth’ and a copy of the full Coat of Arms.

Branded Dilworth

It was certainly a modern approach and in keeping with commericial notions of how an enterprise should project its image and intellectual property to the public. Many among the Old Boys regretted the loss of familiar icons and names, just as those of much earlier generations had lamented the demise of the old name ‘Dilworth Ulster Institue’ in 1927, along with the first badge and its attendant motto. But nothing in this modern world remains static, and the perception that ‘new’ and ‘different’ must be better pervades every aspect of a constantly changing society. In the case of the Dilworth transformations it can fairly be stated that it was a necessary cleaning-up exercise which has streamlined the formerly somewhat cumbersome terminology and branding.