VISUAL AND PLASTIC CODE OF UNIVERSITY IDENTITY: ACADEMIC GOWN. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

Purpose. The aim of this study is to explore the potential of the Ukrainian academic gown as a component of the visual identity of higher education institutions and to identify ways of reinterpreting and adapting it to contemporary cultural and value paradigms. This is achieved through a comparative analysis of academic dress (gowns) in countries that have experienced the impact of totalitarian and colonial regimes – namely, Ukraine and South Africa. Methodology. The research is based on a comparative analysis of the visual codes embedded in the academic dress of Ukrainian and South African higher education institutions. The study employs methods of visual analysis and color symbolism interpretation, as well as cultural and semiotic approaches to examining academic regalia as an element of institutional identity. Results. The study reveals that academic regalia in South African universities, while rooted in European tradition, have been adapted to local cultural codes. In the South African context, color carries significant semantic weight, closely tied to ethnic, historical, and social identity. Ukrainian universities, on the other hand, continue to adopt and replicate a European visual model of the academic gown that has remained largely unchanged since the totalitarian period. This tradition underscores the need to reconsider the symbolic function of academic dress as a part of the visual identity of higher education institutions. In this context, the incorporation of national symbols, traditional colors, and ornamental motifs becomes especially important in shaping a distinctive visual identity for Ukrainian academia and in emphasizing its cultural uniqueness. Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian academic discourse, a comparative analysis of academic dress is conducted within the framework of post-totalitarian reinterpretation of the visual culture of higher education. The study introduces the concept of ornamental and coloristic thinking as a tool for visually constructing institutional and national identity within Ukrainian higher education. Practical relevance. The findings can serve as both a theoretical and practical foundation for the design or redesign of academic dress for Ukrainian higher education institutions. This process should incorporate principles of national identity, cultural heritage, academic representation, and brand communication. The integration of ornamental and color codes relevant to Ukrainian visual traditions will enhance the public visibility and symbolic legitimacy of academic institutions at both national and international levels.