Bede Portz

In 1983, Penn State began developing a new visual identity for its Intercollegiate Athletic Department. The university wanted a single graphic image that could be applied consistently throughout its communications and network of 65,000 students across 22 campuses. A licensing committee also identified an opportunity to generate royalties through a distinctive, protected logo. Roy Parcels of Dixon & Parcels Associates was brought on to the project. At a meeting with football coach Joe Paterno and athletic administrators, the discussion turned to what this lion should look like. Paterno’s preference was clear: “I just don’t like those ones with big teeth and big claws.” A further survey of the university’s coaches reinforced this emphasis on ‘class’ and ‘dignity’. Distinctiveness presented its own challenge. Dixon & Parcels’ research into American collegiate identities found that more than 125 schools used a member of the cat family. Penn State’s lion would need to stand apart while expressing the university’s heritage. Parcels developed around 15 initial designs, with the final design drawing reference close to home: the Nittany Lion statue on the University Park campus, sculpted by Heinz Warneke. A lion was also the mascot for the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University. The statue informed the design of the stylised lion’s head, which was then enclosed within an oval becoming a distinctive graphic form that could be protected for commercial use. Its simplified contours conveyed strength and dignity, while allowing reproduction in one colour, across different media and at both large and small sizes. Continue reading on the LogoHistories website. #pennstate #logos #branding #logohistories #logoarchive