Indiana University Logo

Indiana University Logo PNG

The Indiana University logo represents the university as a candlestick that always keeps the flame burning on the candle of knowledge. The institution helps students to ignite with love for the sciences and burn for new discoveries and achievements.

Meaning and History

The earliest mention of Indiana University dates back to 1839. The name change occurred when the institution’s first president was a theologian and academic, Andrew Wiley. After Wylie, the position was held in turn by six other ministers until biology professor David Starr Jordan took the helm. He improved the university’s image and solved the problem of finances. Once Jordan became president, he had to work on building a new campus on the outskirts of Bloomington because the old one was destroyed by fire.

The main logo of the university consists of two parts: a monogram and an inscription. And the stylized combination of letters “IU” looks like a trident. According to another version, it looks like Psy from the Greek alphabet. The bound sign appeared as early as 1898 – at least that’s the year the earliest version found dates back to. It appeared in Arbutus magazine in the sports section and is signed by the author: Claude MacDonald Hamilton. It turns out that the famous monogram was created by a student who was educated in economics, combining his studies with soccer and editing Arbutus. Only we do not know whether he invented it himself or got it from somewhere else.

According to archival evidence, the trident was used by sports teams for a long time before becoming part of the official Indiana University logo. The current version contains an “I” and a “U” with large rectangular serifs, with the lower edges of the “U” on the right and left being chopped off. Previously, the ends were flat so that the symbol could be confused with the letter Psi.

Next to the stylized monogram is the name of the university. The designers made it black to balance out the crimson icon. For the inscription, as for the crossed “IU,” a serif font is used, but here they are thin and elongated. The main and additional strokes in the letters are contrasting. The different thickness of the lines gives the words a visual dynamic.

The logo is an integral part of the Indiana University brand and is used by all campuses located in several cities across the state. It can be found in ceremonial materials, official documents, and stationery.

Seal

In the 20th century, IU began to expand aggressively and open additional chapters in other cities across the state. Now there are eight of them, and they all share a common visual identification system. It is based on the logo and seal, which appeared at different times. The main visual symbol of Indiana University is a trident formed from the letters “I” and “U.” The debut versions of the monogram were used only for athletic purposes. Later, this graphic element was combined with the institution’s traditional signature.

As far as we know from archival documents, the university seal was adopted in 1841. Naturally, it evolved over a century and a half, but even the first version had an open book image. Now it is a vertical rectangle with two columns of improvised “lines” made of strips of different lengths. There are two parallel lines on the sides, marking the edges of the pages.

Researchers suggest that the book at the center of the press is religious in nature. This is supported by the words of one of IU’s presidents, William Daily. Speaking in 1856, he called it a divine bible and compared the rays around it to the light of truth. As the university developed, the meaning of the graphic signs changed. In the modern interpretation, the book is a source of knowledge for students. It emphasizes the importance of learning and teaching.

On the other hand, the sun represents illumination, the sudden knowledge of the truth. On the other hand, it may be related to the luminary depicted on the Indiana State Seal. This version is confirmed by a similar alternation of short and long rays. The sun on the university seal is not rising-it is already at its zenith because its light spreads in all directions. This indicates the maturity and influence of the institution. And this symbol is also opposed to the darkness of ignorance, as is the motto “Lux et Veritas.” The Latin phrase next to the book expresses IU’s main goal of imparting knowledge to students to learn the truth.

The book, rays, and motto are placed in a circle with a circular frame. It contains the following text: “INDIANENSIS UNIVERSITATIS SIGILLUM.” Two five-pointed stars separate it from the Roman number “MDCCCXX,” which in Arabic numerals means “1820,” the year the university was founded.

The seal of Indiana University is used only in exceptional cases. For example, in official documents (agreements, diplomas) or during historical events. It is administered by the president, who decides if the symbol can be reproduced on different media.

Indiana University Logo

Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic program of Indiana University Bloomington. Its teams compete in twenty-four NCAA Division I sports and have been part of the Big Ten Conference since 1899. The official colors of the university are cream and dark crimson. There is no mascot, per se: at least the Hoosiers nickname is not associated with it. The word has long been used to refer to the people of Indiana, both aboriginal and modern.

The monogram that served as the prototype for the current Indiana Hoosiers emblem has been the hallmark of Indiana University Bloomington for more than a century. Its earliest version appears in the 1898 Arbutus under Athletics. The drawing is signed with the name Claude McDonald Hamilton. He is an alumnus of the university, editor of the Arbutus, and a member of the IU soccer team. True, it is unknown if he created the monogram himself or copied it from another source.

1976 – 1981

The emblem, which was approved in 1976, looks like a trident. It comprises the letters “I” and “U” with large rectangular serifs. The “I” intersects with the “U” at the bottom, dividing it into two equal fragments.

1982 – 2001

In the early 1980s, artists delineated the letters by adding wide black lines. Eventually, they made the image three-dimensional, but this made the monogram no longer look like a single symbol.

2002 – today

Another redesign involved changing the color scheme of Indiana University Bloomington. It included simple shades of white and red for a long time, but in 2002 the institution returned to cream and crimson tones. After that, the school’s management turned to designer Michael-Osborne to modernize the logo according to their instructions. Paul Kagiwada finalized the design a little later – he made the monogram easier and gave it a clearer and cleaner look.

Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana Hoosiers trademarks are the same. In fact, sports teams borrowed the emblem from their university without changing anything in it. Over the decades, the designers experimented several times with the width and color of the lines, but the basic structure remained the same: in the center were the joined letters “I” and “U.”

This adherence to tradition shows that students and staff of the institution considered the logo to be flawless. There were no additional elements, as the university did not have a mascot that could be depicted next to the monogram.

The Indiana Hoosiers are famous for their basketball program, which in 2018 was ranked as the second-best in the United States. In the 1975-1976 season, the men’s team finished first in the NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament. In addition, it had 66 wins in the NCAA Tournament and 22 in the Big Ten Conference Championships. The women’s team’s success has been impressive, with the basketball team winning the Women’s National Invitation Tournament and Big Ten Tournament.

The baseball team has appeared in eight NCAA Tournaments, including one College World Series appearance. At the same time, it won seven regular-season championships.

The Indiana Hoosiers soccer team originated in 1884. Since then, it has won the Big Ten Championship twice: in 1945 and 1967. In addition, players have participated in the 1968 Rose Bowl and other such games.

Soccer is one of the greatest programs in the history of intercollegiate sports. It was launched in 1973 and in that time has managed to beat the competition in many soccer games. The men’s team has won 52 All-America awards, won 11 Big Ten Tournaments, and eight NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament titles.

The Indiana Hoosiers have been a member of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (Division I) since 2010. It has proven itself in the GMHL, MCHL, and Big Ten Hockey League championships. Its home games are played at Frank Southern Arena.

Font and Colors

There are many symbolic elements in the seal of an educational institution, and all of them, in one way or another, are related to light. It is mentioned in the motto “Lux et Veritas” and is embodied in the sun’s image with 48 rays in the shape of cut quartz crystals. The book, in turn, symbolizes the way out of the darkness of ignorance to the light of truth.

At the same time, the most recognizable sign of Indiana University is a trident, which appeared the century before last. This simple figure consists of the letters “I” and “U.” But it has much more meaning than the usual monogram. It has become a powerful and iconic symbol familiar to almost everyone in the Midwest United States. Academic campuses, student organizations, and sports teams use it, and it is depicted on souvenirs and clothing. So the trident can be considered a distinctive trademark of the university.

The “IU” in the monogram resembles similar letters in the Hoosier Bold font. First of all, they are similar due to the broad strokes and rectangular serifs. Also, in both, the lower parts of the “U” are cut at a 45-degree angle. For the university’s name in the logo, an antique typeface was chosen, similar to Telemaque FY Medium from FONTYOU or Bodoni Serial Medium from SoftMaker. Only the “N” has no upper left serif. The font of the text on the print is bold grotesque.

Indiana University’s primary colors since 1888 are crimson (#990000) and cream (#EDEBEB). But now, only the first is used, and the second does not appear anywhere. It was forgotten because it is poorly reproduced. In corporate style, a shade of red is combined with white, although the print and logo can be simple black and white in exceptional cases.

Indiana University color codes