The intimidating bulldog’s face is the recognizable logo of the Butler Bulldogs team, representing Butler University athletes. Its appearance was a stroke of luck that gave the team a striking visual identity, symbolizing this animal’s strength, fearlessness, and tenacity.
Butler Bulldogs: Brand overview
Meaning and History
Initially, the educational institution was known as the North-Western Christian University, and its sports department was called Christians. However, after the university was renamed Butler University, everything changed. Before a game with the Baptists, a bulldog happened to enter the office. Seeing it, animator George Dixon decided to draw a dog that bit off a piece of John the Baptist. Since then, the mascot and nickname have remained the same.
On the emblem of the intercollegiate teams, the head of a bulldog has always been depicted head-on. From 1990 to 2014, it was placed in a blue circle. It was complemented by a large “Butler Bulldogs” inscription of the same color. The letters varied in height, smoothly decreasing from the edge to the middle in a semicircle shape. The font looked unusual due to the combination of sharp and rectangular serifs.
What is Butler Bulldogs?
The Butler Bulldogs are an athletic department that encompasses 20 student teams of Butler University. It is located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and participates in NCAA Division I, although it is not a full member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football players are the founders of the Pioneer League FCS. In 2013, the athletes joined the Big East.
1969 – 1985
1985 – 1990
1990 – 2008
2008 – 2015
2015 – 2019
2019 – today
In 2015, designers removed the circle and the name of the sports department. They focused on the bulldog as the players’ main mascot. They added light-gray shadows along the edges to make it more intimidating. The lines enhance the 3D effect, making the animal’s emotions expressive. The head is surrounded by three contours: dark gray, white, and deep blue. This version of the logo is still used today and is associated with the Butler Bulldogs team.