UVA Logo

UVA Logo PNG

The ultimate premium institution embodies the UVA logo. The university is a real temple of science, which is famous for outstanding minds and gives students a great future. A halo of antiquity, secret knowledge, and sophistication hovers over the emblem.

Meaning and History

In 1802, already the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson became concerned about the concept of a new university with talented students, about which he wrote the artist Charles Willson Peale. And he was referring to his alma mater – the College of William and Mary, located in Virginia. But the politician lost confidence in him because of the religiosity that reigned within his walls, suppressing the development of natural sciences. Gradually the college fell into decay and went bankrupt.

Following a VIP meeting, the initiative group chose Charlottesville for UVA. Its construction began on previously purchased agricultural land. The university’s foundation was laid in January 1819, and the first classes were collected in March 1825. Slaves owned by the university carried out the construction. They then served students and professors.

The institution’s innovation was to separate higher education from religious doctrine. Unlike similar institutions, many sciences were studied here: medicine, chemistry, mathematics, law, languages, philosophy, etc. Since 1923, the university has had its own sports department, “Cavaliers,” which defended the honor of the local state at the highest level. It has always been accompanied by an original logo – a key element of visual identity.

The graphic symbol has a threefold function: it represents the educational organization to the outside world, an identification mark, and a unifying sign. The logo includes two basic UVA elements: the Rotunda symbol (graphic icon) and text caption (writing).

The architectural object is based on the concept of Thomas Jefferson. The Rotunda was modeled after the Roman Pantheon, which had a perfectly round shape. In his sketch, the author presented the idea of ​​a unifying circle – the intention to create a state university that would serve as a model for future generations. This is confirmed by 13 stars arranged in a semicircle, which represent 13 states.

The text part consists of the name the University of Virginia and is based on unique typography. But the traditional Adobe Caslon font has its characteristics here. It has several hand-made letter connections: between “V” and “E,” “T” and “Y,” “f” and “V.” Moreover, “T” is reduced in width to create a harmonious visual balance with the rest of the signs. At the same time, the logo uses other capital letters, not those that the author of the font originally proposed. The custom “of” layout makes the logo innovative.

Virginia Cavaliers Logo

UVA Sports Division teams are named Cavaliers and are ranked # 1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the men’s NCAA Championships and # 2 in the women’s and general titles. The University of Virginia is one of the three most successful educational institutions, whose teams have won numerous prestigious awards. For example, one of the latest was obtained in 2021, when women won the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The club got its name in 1923. He wears it in honor of the royalists of the 19th century, who were called cavaliers.

1978 – 1993

After years of searching for a suitable image, management settled on the image of the serious Cavalier, who is intently looking ahead. It is located in full face. A beard and a thin mustache are drawn on the face, and a wide-brimmed hat with a long feather is on the head. Below is the name of the state of Virginia, written in serif in straight letters. In this case, the picture is made in the form of negative space since elements with a solid color form the face while it is itself white.

1994 – 2019

The next logo was different from the previous one, as the designers radically changed its style. Now it consists of a capital “V,” reminiscent of the victory sign (in Latin “victoria”) and the ancient Greek number five. Below are two crossed sabers. The white letter is surrounded by an orange line and has serifs. Melee’s weapons are completely painted.

2020 – today

After the undertaken redesign, the logo gained volume due to the combination of colors of two shades. The letter is now light on one side and dark on the other, like sabers. The only difference is that the top symbol is orange, and the bottom is blue. In addition, the “V” has dark edging.

Font and Colors

Both the university and its sports teams have distinctive signs. Although they were not immediately adopted, they reflect the ideological essence of the trajectory of these organizations. The institution of higher education is based on ancient historical roots and looks to the future, as evidenced by the Rotunda, modeled on the Roman Pantheon. It has a round shape – uniting, which makes everyone equal members of the university community and the scientific world. The sports logo is also based on the origins: it uses the image of the Cavaliers, who were supporters of the Royalists.

For the personal mark of the University of Virginia, the typeface Adobe Caslon was chosen with individual modifications of several letters. In particular, both “V,” “E,” “T,” “Y,” and “f” are changed, which are connected in pairs. Like the rest of the text, the “of” particle is not in uppercase but lowercase. It is also handwritten in italics.

The two emblems are combined with an orange and blue palette. It was used forty years before the UVA Sports Club because it first appeared on the university logo in 1888.

UVA color codes