Daktronics, the Brookings, South Dakota-based designer and manufacturer of LED video displays, scoreboards and digital billboards, uses a logo built around a stylized “D” icon paired with the company name set below it. The company’s official brand guidelines describe the mark as a stylized “D” icon with a circle in the middle, and they instruct users not to separate the icon from the “Daktronics” wordmark beneath it.[1]
Design and History
Daktronics was founded in 1968 by Dr. Al Kurtenbach and Dr. Duane Sander, two electrical engineering professors at South Dakota State University. The company name is a contraction of “Dakota” and “electronics.”[2]
The current logo consists of a stylized “D” icon with a circular element at its center, paired with the “Daktronics” wordmark below. Employees at the company commonly refer to the mark simply as the “D” logo.[3] The company’s brand guidelines specify that the clear space around the logo should equal the diameter of the circle in the middle of the stylized “D” icon.[1]
Daktronics released a special 50th anniversary version of its logo in 2018 to mark the company’s five decades in business.[3] That same year, the company displayed a large D-shaped logo built with LED freeform technology at the NACDA convention in Washington, DC.[4]
Daktronics’ brand asset page includes an example of an “Old Logo” among its list of incorrect usages, indicating that earlier versions of the mark exist and should not be used in place of the current logo.[1] No documented dates or reasons for past logo changes are available from official sources.
Meaning and Symbolism
Daktronics does not publish an official explanation of the symbolism behind its stylized “D” icon. The company’s brand guidelines describe the mark’s structure, including the circle in the middle of the “D,” but do not assign specific meaning to these elements.[1]
Typography and Design
Daktronics’ brand guidelines define three official colors for the logo system. The primary color, called “Daktronics Blue,” is specified as #004B96. Two secondary colors are also documented: Dark Blue at #002963 and Light Blue at #169AD7.[1]
The guidelines instruct users to always use the blue logo when possible, with black or white versions permitted when contrast with the background is insufficient. The logo must remain legible at all times, with a recommended minimum size of 3/4 inch wide in high-resolution communications or 50 pixels wide in electronic communications.[1]
No official documentation identifies the typeface used in the Daktronics wordmark or the designer or agency responsible for creating the logo.
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