At first glance, a college logo appears to be just a clever piece of art; however, what many overlook is that a logo is largely a marketing tool to brand and promote the university. One institution may use a number of logos or variations of logos to promote team spirit, school attitude and academic rigor. The images are intended to convey a message, but they’re also designed to elicit a response: inspiration, competitiveness, pride, scholarship, loyalty, and more.
With these intentions in mind, we’ve studied hundreds of college logos and compiled a list of the most engaging and dynamic we could find. Sure, it’s a subjective evaluation, but these are the ones that resonated most with our team, and we think they’re excellent examples for any marketer, designer, or communicator seeking inspiration. They’re presented here, along with some information about them and the teams and institutions they represent.
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College Baseball Logos
1. University at Albany
Albany Great Danes Baseball Team
Website
Also known as the University at Albany, this varsity intercollegiate athletic team is a member of the America East Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division I. The university’s traditional logo features the school’s purple and gold colors. The logo is used universally throughout the college’s sports programs, which makes the design an attractive and easily transferable design for branding and marketing. Because of its simplicity and bold colors, it is easily identifiable.
2. Lindsey Wilson College
Blue Raiders
Website
Located in Colombia, Kentucky, the Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), who primarily compete in the Mid-South Conference. Their blue-and-white Raider logo reflects elegance and aggression.
3. Berry College
Berry Vikings
Website
In Northwest Georgia, you will find the home of the Berry College Vikings baseball team. Berry College is a founding member of the Southern Athletic Association, Division III of the NCAA. Its blue and silver viking logo signals “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
4. Georgetown University
Georgetown Hoyas baseball
Website
Georgetown Hoyas baseball is in the Big East Conference, which is part of the NCAA’s Division I level of college baseball. Georgetown’s first established sport was baseball. It hosted its first game on 1866. Georgetown was the first to organize a team in four years. Jack the bulldog is also personified in the school’s mascot.
5. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
UCLA Bruins
Website
The UCLA Bruins logo is known for its “true blue” and gold colors. The The colors were proudly displayed by the Bruins when they swept the Mississippi State Bulldogs to win the 2013 NCAA National Championship. This was the university’s first national baseball title.
6. Scottsdale Community College
Fighting Artichokes
Website
This fun and charming logo is for Scottsdale Community College, located on the River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Scottsdale, Arizona. This logo features the school’s colors of gold and green. It also has an interesting history. In the 1970’s, the school administration was accused of using scholarship money to bribe athletes to come to the school. The Students organized a school-wide protest, and voted for a mascot that was absurd enough to be a shame symbol for the school. “Artie The Fighting Artichoke” was the result and still remains as the school’s logo today.
7. University of San Diego
San Diego Toreros
Website
The San Diego Toreros baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate baseball program at the University of San Diego. The Toreros have won four conference championships series, three regular-season conference championships and two regular-season division championships. This cleverly designed logo brings life to their “Founders Blue” and “Torero Blue” school colors.
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Carolina Tar Heels
Website
The North Carolina Tar Heels compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA. Their first ever recorded basketball game was 1867, when they beat a Raleigh all star team. The Tar Heels were the top overall seed in the 2013 NCAA Baseball Tournament and reached the 2013 College World Series. The school colors of “Carolina Blue” and white are displayed in this ram logo.
9. California State University, Fullerton
Cal State Fullerton Titans
Website
In 35 years of Division I play, the Cal State Fullerton Titans have never had a losing season. Titan Baseball is a top-ranked college baseball program. They have made 16 College World Series appearances and have won 4 national championships (1979, 1984, 1995, and 2004). Every NCAA Tournament has seen the Titans since 1992. This famous logo displays their well-known school colors of navy, orange, white.
10. Wichita State University
Wichita Shocker Baseball
Website
Black and gold are the team colors that are displayed in the Wichita Shocker’s Baseball logo. The Shockers have made 7 appearances in the College World Series and in 1989 they won the national championship. They compete in Division I and the Missouri Valley Conference of the National Collegiate Athletics Association.
College Basketball Logos
1. University of Florida
Florida Gators
Website
Known for the battles with rivals like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida State, the Florida Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gators logo displays the fierce alligator, which is Florida’s official state reptile.
2. Rutgers University
Scarlet Knights
Website (Men’s)
The New Jersey Rutgers Scarlet Knights was one of the first American schools to participate in intercollegiate athletics. The university was among the “Final Four” in the 1976 Division I NCAA Tournament. They finished the 1976 season fourth in the country. Their logo combines the scarlet school color and the knight mascot, which intertwines with the school’s name. The Rutgers Knights will be joining the Big Ten Conference in 2014 after leaving the American Athletic Conference.
3. Huntington University
Foresters
Website
The Huntington University Foresters compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). This lumberjack logo combines the school’s forest green and black colors with the chopping ax.
4. Temple University
Temple Owls
Website
The Temple men’s basketball team is one of 6 teams in NCAA history to reach 1,800 wins. They were also the first National Invitation Tournament champions (NIT) in 1938, one year before the first NCAA Tournament. The The fierce owl logo that displays the school colors of white, black, and cherry shows the strength of their victories.
5. Drexel University
Drexel Dragons
Website
The Dragons joined Division I in 1973. Since then, in 109 seasons, the Drexel Dragons have an all-time record of 1,119 wins and in 2013, the women’s basketball team won the 2013 Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Their dragon logo contains the school’s colors of blue and gold.
6. Saint Mary’s College
Belles Basketball
Website
Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College is a private Catholic liberal arts college. They are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III as well as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Nicknamed “The Belles,” this clever logo design incorporates both a bell shape and the outline of the surface of a basketball.
7. University of Maryland
Maryland Terrapins
Website
Referred to as the Terps, the Maryland Terrapins became a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1952. They are currently part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Division I competition. The Terps will be joining the Big Ten Conference in June 2014. The four school colors red, white and black are displayed on the Chesapeake Bay turtle logo.
8. Union College
Union Bulldogs
Website
The orange and black Bulldogs primarily compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC). In 1952, the student body voted the Bulldog as the school’s official nickname. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs have been the names of the team since then. Mack, their logo, was created to support their nickname. It is named Mack after a bulldog that they purchased. In addition to attending games, Mack also traveled with the 1967/68 men’s basketball team to Kansas City for the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
9. Cazenovia College
Cazenovia Wildcats
Website
Located in Cazenovia, New York, the Cazenovia College Wildcats are a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). This logo cleverly uses the school’s colors of blue and gold to create a 3D style wildcat.
10. Drury University
Drury Panthers
Website
Drury University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Missouri and is home to the Drury Panthers. Their fierce scarlet and grey colored panther logo is a perfect representation of their April 7, 2013 success, when they won the Division II Men’s National Basketball Championship. The The Panthers set a school record when they won their last 23 games and took their second Great Lakes Valley Conference title and their first NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.
College Football Logos
1. University of Texas
Texas Longhorns
Website
Ranked seventh as the most prestigious college football program since 1936 by ESPN, the Texas Longhorns closed their 2013 season with an all-time record of 875-339-33, which earned them the second most wins in NCAA Division I FBS history. The Longhorns are a Big 12 Conference member and compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The Longhorns have had 129 players named to All-America football team rosters in their history. The team had players who won the Heisman Trophy, and had seventeen Longhorns who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Their simple, yet effective, orange-and-white Longhorn logo is widely recognised as a great representation of their football achievements.
2. Boise State University
Boise State Broncos
Website
The Boise State Broncos are best known for their famous blue field turf, which is a fitting complement to their orange and blue bronco logo and mascot. The The Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Mountain West Conference hosts the Broncos. The Broncos are well-known for their victory in overtime against the Oklahoma Sooners in 2007. They finished the season as the only undefeated major college football team.
3. Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes
Website
The Ohio State Buckeyes are named after the state tree, the Ohio Buckeye, or Aesculus glabra. They compete in the NCAA’s Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference. The The Buckeyes have won 7 national titles, 35 Big Ten Conference championships as well as 2 OAC championships. In 1987, their scarlet and grey letter-style logo was created.
4. Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Website
The Oklahoma State Cowboys’ logo takes the traditional route with their orange and black letter style design. The Cowboys belong to the Big 12 Conference. They play at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. In 2012, the Cowboys made a few changes by including an “All Orange” uniform with a Pistol Pete logo, also know as “Phantom Pete” by Oklahoma fans.
5. University of Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
Website
Known as the “Hogs,” the Arkansas Razorbacks acquired their name in 1910 by a student body vote. Originally named the Cardinals, this decision to change the name was made after the university played LSU and was referred by former coach Hugo Bezdek as playing like a “wild band of Razorback hogs.” The Arkansas Razorbacks with school colors of cardinal and white are the only major sports team in the U.S. with a porcine nickname.
6. University of Missouri
Missouri Tigers
Website
The Missouri Tigers are named after a band of armed guards called the Missouri Tigers, who protected Columbia from Confederate guerrillas during the Civil War in 1864. The The Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association is where the Tigers compete. Home games are played at “the Zou” Field. The team colors of gold and black are displayed on the Tiger logo.
7. Florida International University
FIU Panthers
Website
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The Florida International Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team. This panther logo, featuring a panther soaring through the tall grass, was replaced by a 2001 logo. Their updated logo only features the school colors of blue, and gold. The FIU Stadium, which holds 45,000 fans, is cleverly nicknamed “The Cage.”
8. University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Panthers
Website
The “Pitt Panthers” compete as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The University of Pittsburgh updated their torch-cut Panther head in 2007 to give it a more modern, polished look. Athletic Director Jeff Long said, “After receiving consistent public feedback, we felt the time was right to give our Panther head a more refined, contemporary look and one that is easily reproduced and recognized.” This new logo style includes the school colors of blue and gold.
9. Ohio University
Ohio Bobcats
Website
The Bobcats compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in all sports. Their Ohio green and blue bobcat logo design was made in 1999. The Bobcats play at Peden Stadium, which is nicknamed “The Wrigley Field of College Football.” Peden Stadium is considered one of the best college football facilities in the Mid-American Conference and in the nation. Peden Stadium hosted 25,893 fans, the largest attendance at the stadium in 2012 to witness the Bobcats beat New Mexico State Aggies by a decisive score of 51-24.
10. Rice University
Rice Owls
Website
Rice Stadium, known for the site of Super Bowl VIII, is home to the Rice Owls football team. Rice beat Marshall to win the 2013 football conference championship. Rice University’s athletic logo includes Sammy the Rice Owl mascot and the university colors of union blue and confederate gray.
Institutional Logos
1. Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Website
Princeton University is a private research university and one of the eight Ivy League schools. Princeton offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in engineering, social sciences, and natural sciences. The Latin phrase DEI SVB NVMINE VIGET, translated as “Under God’s power she flourishes,” is Princeton University’s official motto which is proudly displayed in the schools orange and black colors.
2. University of Saint Francis
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Website
The University of Saint Francis is a private Catholic university offering majors ranging from liberal arts to health sciences. The University of Saint Francis was founded in Lafayette, Indiana in 1890. Since then, they have worked hard to become a coeducational university in liberal arts tradition. The The crest shows the arm and foot of Christ, joined at the base by the arm of St. Francis. This symbolizes the fusion of love between Christ and St. Francis as identified through the motto, “Deus Meus et Omnia,” “My God and My All,” which is mounted on the crest.
3. Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA
Website
Founded in 1864, Swarthmore was one of the earliest coeducational colleges in the United States. Located 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia in Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College is a private liberal arts college. A staggering 90% of Swarthmore alumni go on to graduate school or enter professional schools. In addition, more than 20% of Swarthmore graduates earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree.
4. Lyon College
Batesville, Arkansas
Website
Lyon College was founded in 1872 as an independent, residential, co-educational, undergraduate liberal arts college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It is Arkansas’ oldest independent college. Their motto “Perseverantia Omnia Vincent Deo Volente” means “Perseverance Conquers All, God Willing.” Considered a smaller school, Lyon enrolls approximately 600 students from 21 states and 14 countries.
5. Becker College
Worcester, MA
Website
Becker College has campuses in Worcester and Leicester, Massachusetts. The Becker College logo traces its history from the union of two Massachusetts educational institutions. Becker is a nationally recognized institution for producing top-ranked registered nurses in Massachusetts. They also rank in the top 15 for their veterinary sciences program.
6. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
Website
Known as “Caltech,” the California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California. The school was founded in 1891 as a vocational and preparatory school by Amos G. Throop. It became a research university in 1921. Caltech manages and operates NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Their school motto is “The truth shall make you free.”
7. Livingstone College
Salisbury, NC
Website
Livingston College’s motto “A Call To Commitment. Taking Livingstone College to the next level,” has been the cornerstone of their education principles since 1879. Livingstone, a college that is privately owned and operated in Salisbury North Carolina, is a historically black college. It is affiliated to the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. In 1887, the institute changed its name from Zion Wesley Institute to Livingstone College in honor of African missionary David Livingstone.
8. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
Website
Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University is one of the eight Ivy League schools. Harvard University is known for its wealth, history and influence. Harvard’s Latin motto, “Veritas,” means “truth,” a simple statement that has become the foundation of this educational institution which is also the United States’ oldest institution of higher learning.
9. Drew University
Madison, NJ
Website
Drew University, a coeducational private university located in Madison, New Jersey, is nicknamed the “University in the Forest” because of its wooded 186-acre campus. The university was originally founded by Daniel Drew, a railroad tycoon, in 1867 to train candidates for the Methodist Church ministry. In 1928, it expanded to offer a liberal arts curriculum for undergraduates and graduate programs in 1955. The University motto “δωρεαν ελαβετε δωρεαν δοτε” means “Freely ye have received, freely give.” (from Matthew 10:8 KJV)
10. Chestnut Hill College
Philadelphia, PA
Website
Originally founded in 1924 as a women’s college, by the Sisters of St. Joseph, Chestnut Hill College is a now a coeducational Roman Catholic college in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their motto “Fides, Caritas, Scientia” is translated to “Faith, Charity, Knowledge” and is the perfect representation of what this college stands for. The The Chestnut Hill campus is on the National Register of Historic Places. It includes St. Joseph Hall with its six-story Greco-Roman Rotunda and French Gothic exterior and Fournier Hall which is a masterpiece of Italian Romanesque architecture.
Mascot Logos
1. Penn State
Nittany Lions
Website
The Penn State mascot, the Nittany Lion was created by Harrison “Joe” Mason during a baseball game against Princeton in 1904. Mason and other members of Penn State’s team were shown a statue of Princeton’s famous Bengal tiger as an indication of the treatment they could expect to encounter on the field. Because Penn State did not have a mascot, Mason came up with the Nittany Lion, claiming it was the “fiercest beast of them all,” one who could overcome even the tiger. His prediction proved correct and Penn State beat Princeton that day. Mason’s inspiration for the mascot and logo came from the mountain lion that was spotted roaming central Pennsylvania. Cleverly adding “Nittany” to the Nittany Lions gave Penn State a unique logo and mascot that no other college or university could duplicate.
2. Notre Dame
Fighting Irish
Website
The famous fighting Irish leprechaun was not always the mascot for Notre Dame. From 1930 to 1965 the mascot consisted of a variety terriers. The Notre Dame cheerleaders adopted the fighting Irish mascot in 1960. This allowed them to perform their routines backwards before the squad. The The Fighting Irish Leprechaun, which was popularized by the fans, became the official mascot when it was officially registered as an official university symbol in 1965.
3. Skagit Valley College
Fighting Cardinal
Website
This Fighting Cardinal Mascot was developed for use in promoting and displaying the spirit of their sports teams, which are members of the North West Athletic Association of Community Colleges, which consists of 2-year colleges in Washington and Oregon, and one school in British Columbia. Skagit Valley College athletics consists of baseball, golf, softball, tennis, and track teams.
4. Oregon State University
Oregon State Beavers
Website
Benny Beaver was the winner of the 2011 Capital One Mascot of the Year and is the official mascot of Oregon State University. Also known as “The Beaver,” it is not recorded when the mascot first appeared at Oregon State University. However, there are photos of the mascot in university yearbooks dated in the 1940’s. The Arthur C. Evans, a famous graphic artist and former Disney employee created earlier versions of Benny Beaver.
5. University of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers
Website
In earlier years, the University of Wisconsin used an actual badger at the first few football games. The The badger was too strong to control and was sent to the Henry Vilas Zoo. In 1940, Art Evans, a California-based commercial artist, created the Bucky Badger logo, who wears a “W” sweater and struts forward with a fierce expression. Bucky the Badger was inducted as a charter member of the Mascot Hall of Fame’s College Division.
6. University of Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide
Website
Big Al is the lovable elephant mascot that debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl, when Alabama beat Penn State for the national championship. The Big Al’s story goes back to 1930, when Coach Wallace Wade assembled a formidable football team. Sports writer Everett Strupper wrote “when those big brutes hit you I mean you go down and stay down, often for an additional two minutes.” At the end of the quarter – according to reports – the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow and some excited fan in the stands yelled, “Hold your horses, the elephants are coming.”
7. University of South Carolina
Cocky the Gamecock
Website
Cocky is a cartoon version of a gamecock, a fighting rooster. Cocky was introduced at the 1980 Homecoming games, where he quickly gained popularity and acceptance. In 1981 and 1982 Cocky was invited to be the official mascot of the NCAA Baseball College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. He has also been awarded a ‘mascot national championship’ – the Universal Cheerleading Association mascot championship in 1986 and 1994 and the Capital One mascot championship in 2003.
8. University of Iowa
Herky the Hawk
Website
After the Black Hawk War of 1832, James G. Edwards, a newspaper reporter in Fort Madison proposed the nickname “Hawk-eyes” in 1838 to the city of Burlington. Later, in 1948, Richard Spencer, a journalism instructor, drew a caricature of a hawk for Frank Havlicek, business director for the university’s athletic department, who was looking for a symbol to represent the athletic teams. This cartoon was Herky the Hawk, who first appeared in a football game back in 1959.
9. Michigan State University
Sparty
Website
In 1925, Michigan State University changed their name from the “Aggies” to “Spartans.” A variety of spartan mascot and logos were tried until 1984 when Gruff Sparty was created by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, who introduced a new look for Sparty with an unshaven look and general scowl on its face. Today’s Sparty is a more “approachable, fierce yet kind, man for all seasons” mascot. The Current costume costs $12,000.
10. Western Michigan University
Buster Bronco
Website
Born in 1988 and a member of the WMU cheer team, Buster Bronco became the official mascot of Western Michigan University athletic teams. The “Broncos” nickname dates back to 1939 when the athletic board of the Western State Teachers College adopted the nickname “Broncos.” The mascot Buster Bronco is also leads an interactive 3D exploration of the WMU campus.
