FOR nearly 20 years the distinctive diving dolphin has been the public face of the University of Southampton.

Now academics have unveiled a controversial new logo - at a cost of £160,000.

Marketing bosses have dropped the dolphin, chosen 17 years ago to represent friendliness and intelligence, and picked a simple black typeface designed by London agency Precedent Communications.

However, union leaders have condemned the logo's cost, which is the equivalent to four senior lecturer posts for a year and 160 bursaries for students from low incomes.

The cost of changing all the campus signs and ordering new stationery is expected to add tens of thousands to the final price.

David Wheatley, of the University and College Union, which represents about 1,000 academic staff, said too much money was being spent on a new logo while cuts were being made elsewhere.

University chiefs have also been criticised for plans to close the renowned Textile Conservation Centre in Winchester next year because it costs too much to run.

Its work on Henry VIII's football boots, the hood of the Elephant Man and the battle flag of HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's flagship, has gained attention around the world.

Dr Wheatley, an archaeology lecturer said: "It seems the university is extravagantly spending money at a time when it says it hasn't got any.

"Staff have been asked to tighten their belts and posts are not being replaced while the pay rises of senior staff have significantly outstripped the modest gains from the last pay dispute."

More than 2,000 have signed an online petition to "Save the Southampton University Dolphin".

David Callen, a fourth year oceanography student said: "The new logo is quite dull and unimaginative. The dolphin was distinctive and could be customised by university clubs and societies."

He is also angry that students were not allowed to have their say on the consultation - an accusation denied by the university, which said it worked with the Students' Union and organised a touring exhibition.

Dozens have posted messages on the university's new-look website, describing the logo as "boring" and "clinical".

The university insists the logo needed to be more traditional to better reflect its status as one of the country's top 20 research universities belonging to The Russell Group - which includes Oxford and Cambridge.

Marketing bosses felt the dolphin was too similar to logos used by former polytechnics.

Senior deputy vice-chancellor Professor Adam Wheeler, who led the logo project said: "The University of Southampton is recognised internationally for the quality of its teaching and research and our name is our most important and enduring identifying factor.

"Not only is our name instantly recognisable but importantly, in the context of modern global communications and the Internet, it represents very clearly and unambiguously who we are, what we are, and where we are."

When asked why the university's arts department had not been asked to design a fresh logo, a spokesman said: "The new visual identity was developed as part of a much wider brand development project undertaken for the university last year.

"Precedent, the agency we employed, has years of experience in brand development and visual identity design, and a large part of its work on the project was to consult internally. We had significant input from staff and students throughout the process, including from academics at our School of Art."