UPenn (University of Pennsylvania) Logo PNG
The university’s emblem, dating back to 1740, conveys its cultural and historical heritage. However, the UPenn logo feels modern because the institution continues to evolve. This suggests the university is committed to innovation while honoring its long-standing traditions.
UPenn, formerly known as the College of Philadelphia and the University of the State of Pennsylvania, began as a never-opened charity school in a building with a preaching hall. Benjamin Franklin established his institution there to focus on spiritual education and the humanities. Because of his involvement in the university’s early history, the UPenn logo features the main symbol of the Franklin family crest: an abstract dolphin.
According to official data, the University of Pennsylvania is one of the colonial colleges, established in 1740. The College of Philadelphia (as it was originally called) opened in 1755, and 15 years earlier, in 1740, the preaching hall that would become the first building on campus was completed.
Meaning and History
The university did not get its present name immediately; it came only a few decades later. Its system of graphic symbols is even newer: the logo and coat of arms were created in 2020. Meanwhile, the first version of UPenn’s modern shield was adopted in 1932. That is, the institution’s identity has deep historical roots.
Like the coat of arms, the UPenn logo contains a shield with traditional elements. The current version was introduced in early 2020. In addition to the slightly modified shield, it includes a wordmark: the dark blue lettering “Penn University of Pennsylvania.” The first word is greatly enlarged and placed at the top, and the other three, much smaller, occupy the second line. Both use a long, thin serif font, but they are two different grotesques. The preposition “of” is italicized.
What is UPenn?
UPenn is an alternative name for the University of Pennsylvania. It is one of Philadelphia’s largest institutions of higher learning. It is one of nine colonial colleges established before the United States Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin founded it in 1740.
The mysterious creature at the top of the shield is a dolphin, taken from Benjamin Franklin’s coat of arms. This is how the designers of UPenn’s icon paid tribute to the school’s founder. The rectangular band with three white circles is a tribute to William Penn, as the same element is found on his family coat of arms. All visual symbols of the university have hidden meanings and are linked to its centuries-old history.
The University of Pennsylvania is proud of its traditional shield, which contains elements from two family coats of arms. A rather unusual dolphin, resembling a fish with large, wavy fins, was inherited from Benjamin Franklin’s family, the creator of UPenn. The three white circles on the chevron were borrowed from William Penn’s coat of arms, the founder of the Province of Pennsylvania. Additionally, open books are drawn as symbols of education and the pursuit of new knowledge.
The dolphin, placed between the two books, is in a wide, dark red stripe. It occupies the upper part of the shield. Below are two blue rectangles that meet at a right angle. The remaining space is divided into three white triangles of about equal size.
Beneath the shield is an unfurled white scroll. It bears the phrase “LEGES SINE MORIBUS VANAE” in blue capital letters, which translates from Latin as “Laws without morals are useless.” It is an old university motto, adopted in 1932. It is based on a line from the Roman poet Horace.
Font and Colors
As already mentioned, the UPenn logo uses two very similar fonts. The word “Penn” is written in an antique Perpetua font. This serif typeface was developed around 1925. Letter carver Arthur Eric Rowton Gill created it based on his experience with memorials and monuments. For “University” and “Pennsylvania,” they chose a similar font called ITC Stone Serif, and for the preposition “of,” a version of ITC Stone Serif Italic. The author is graphic artist Sumner Stone. He created the original typeface in 1987 while working at Adobe.
The UPenn symbolism reflects his color scheme: red (#990000) and blue (#011F5B). As we know from the archives, they were chosen by a student participating in intercollegiate athletic competitions in the early 1870s. Before that, the school had no official palette. Legend has it that the team captain decided to give the university the colors of those competitors they had beaten. As it turned out, they were Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue.