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The Quad Arches

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The Quad Arches are the visual identities of the seven quads at Duke University.

Click on the tabs below to view your quad's arch and an explanation of its ten elements!

the seven quad arches in their basic colors without details

 

Few complex

The Anatomy of the
Few QUAD ARCH

 

Element #1: Principal ColorROYAL BLUEChosen to correspond with the blue color of the bannisters, dooframes, and marble tiles in entrances to Few, this blue is also a reference to one of the primary colors in the Duke Stone PaletteFew minum
Element #1: Supporting ColorWARM WHITEA complement to the deep blue of the principal color, the supporting color is derived from the warm white pressed bricks that line the interior facade of Few QuadFew minum
Element #3: ArborEASTERN REDBUD
Cercis canadensis
Seen around the exterior and interior of Few Quad, this native tree's bright pink blossoms bloom in early February, connecting to the Quad date of February 8th. By late March, their heart-shaped leaves begin to bud along the tips of the branches.Few Mantling
Element #4: FoliageREDBUD BRANCHES & BLOSSOMSThe ornamental foliage around the Few Arch is composed of the late Spring and Summer Redbud leaves and the early Spring pink blossomsFew Mantling
Element #5: FaunaTHE EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL
Sciurus carolinensis
The Few Squirrels are the embodiment of its motto and can be seen scurrying among the many trees around campus all year round. The image of the Squirrels in the Arch is a direct copy of a herald containing a squirrel seen at the upper right of the exterior entrance to Few Tower.
Element #6: ArchitectureFEW TOWERThe unmistakable icon of the Quad, Few Tower is visible from nearly every point on campus and gives the Quad one of its significant numbers, six, for the number of stories in the TowerFew tower
Element #7: DateFEBRUARY 8, 1938Few's date marks the time of the early Spring when the Redbud trees begin to blossom, an early herald of warmer weather to come. It references one of the Quad's Significant Numbers, 8, as well.Few redbud
Element #8: Significant Numbers6 AND 8Six is significant to Few as the number of stories in Few Tower, the Quad's unique architectural feature. From a bird's eye view, the near and far quads of Few form a figure eight, giving the Quad its second significant number also referenced in its date.
Element #9: MottoLIBERTAS ET DISCPLINA
Freedom and Discipline
Taking the formula of the Duke University motto ("Eruditio et Religio"), "Freedom and Discipline" are the names of the two Squirrels that flank the lower region of the Few Arch. Just as the squirrels are free wild animals but disciplined gatherers, so are Duke students striving for a balance between the new freedoms of the college experience and the discipline needed to execute responsibilities.Few Mantling
Element #10: PartitionINVERTED CHEVRONInverted to cohere with the inverted shield shape of the Arches, the chevron is connected to the architectural form of the gables seen all over Abele Quad buildings. Referencing the chevron in the Duke Family crest, the partition also symbolizes leadership.Few complex


Background

The Quad Arches are the visual identities of the seven QuadEX Quads at Duke. More than simply logos, the Arches serve to create a distinct sense of place and belonging for all students who live in the Quads, past, present, and future. They do this by referencing the natural and built environment of the Quads, including local flora and fauna and architectural features unique to each building. Each Quad Arch contains ten elements: a principal color, a supporting color, an arbor (tree species), foliage (ornamental floral or leaf element), fauna (the Quad’s animal), an architectural feature unique to the Quad, a significant date, significant numbers, a motto (based on the formula of Duke University’s “Eruditio et Religio”), and a partition that divides the shape of the Arch.

What style are they designed in, and why? The Arches are related to heraldry, the vernacular visual language of many colleges and universities around the world, including Duke. Referencing this same style connects students to the experience of living on Julian Abele’s collegiate gothic West Campus.  Inverting the shield found at the heart of traditional heraldry creates a gothic arch, an immediately recognizable symbol for all who set foot on Duke’s campus.  While the traditional shape of the shield references battle settings and bloodlines, the Arches symbolize journey and transformation, central characteristics of the Duke undergraduate experience.

  Why are there so many elements? There will always be a broad diversity of Duke students who live in the Quads, and the Arches will have many different options of elements with which to identify. You may like one and not care for another, but by having many we can create the opportunity to include everyone.  

  Who designed them? A team of students, staff, and an artist worked together from August 2022 to April 2023 to build the framework, make the choices, collect community feedback, and execute the designs. 

  Who gets to use the Arches? Everyone affiliated with a Quad! That includes first years in a linked House, upper-class students in the Quads, alumni affiliates, and more. The Arches will represent the Quads in official university functions, in informal community events, and, of course, on Quad merchandise. 

Acknowledgements

The Quad Arches could not have come into being were it not for the indespensible help of the following staff and students who co-created them.

Landy Elliot | Chief of Staff, Trinity College

Nicholas Chrapliwy | Spark Fellow

Dennis Mathias | Fine Artist and Quad Arches Illustrator

Lee Baker | Professor of Cultural Anthropology

Valerie Gillespie | University Archivist

Amy McDonald | Duke University Archives

Bill Lefevre | Duke Gardens

Mark Hough | Duke University Architect