Illinois State Redbirds Logo

Illinois State Redbirds Logo PNG

The Illinois State Redbirds logo highlights athletes from 19 of the university’s teams and features a cartoon version of the mascot, made into a threatening expression for an opponent. The identity focuses on the state itself and the affiliation of the teams, as well as on the name.

Meaning and History

The Illinois State Redbirds logo depicts the same mysterious “Redbird” that is mentioned in the name. Early versions of the red bird began to appear as early as the 1930s. True, these prototypes barely resembled what is used now: they either exactly repeated the emblem of St. Louis Cardinals or looked like realistic illustrations of a cardinal sitting on a branch. Only in the 1980s, the sports department approved a permanent logo, which has been modernized several times since then.

What is Illinois State Redbirds?

Illinois State Redbirds consists of 19 teams participating in intercollegiate programs, representing Illinois State University. They compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Missouri Valley Conference. Football players participate in FCS NCAA and play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They are located in Normal, Illinois.

1980 – 1995

At the end of the 20th century, the central place on the emblem was taken by an anthropomorphic red bird, stretching out its hand with a raised thumb. She was the main symbol of the teams until the mid-1990s. To make the image meaningful, the designers added additional elements: a large white ring with black outlines and the inscription “ISU.”

1996 – 2004

The redesign, which took place in 1996, brought several significant changes. First, the artists redrew the bird and removed the hand. Secondly, the full name of the teams appeared in place of the abbreviation. Moreover, the words “ILLINOIS STATE” were depicted in block letters and were located between two red stripes, and “Redbirds” was written in a font imitating calligraphic handwriting and was located at the bottom.

2005 – today

Experimenting with the emblem once again, the designers left the red bird alone. They just moved it a little to the right so that the big red lettering “ILLINOIS STATE” would fit the left with a small white lettering “REDBIRDS” on a black background.

Illinois State Redbirds Basketball Logo

The men’s basketball team is best known for having played in fourteen Conference Regular Season Champions, four Conference Tournament Champions, and six NCAA Tournament Appearances. The women were equally active: debuting in 1971, she managed to take part in five NCAA Tournaments, twelve WNITs and won four times in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Font and Colors

From the evolution of the Illinois State Redbirds logo, you can trace how the cardinal character changed. At first, the bird smiled affably and showed an approving gesture – a raised thumb. Then she became formidable, even fierce, and a red light lit up in her eyes. Also, the artists conveyed aggression with the help of a low-tilted head and tightly clenched teeth. This was to express the spirit of competition, raise the fighting spirit of the university teams, and scare opponents.

Illinois State Redbirds color codes