The Alabama State Hornets and Lady Hornets are the athletic teams of Alabama State University (ASU), a public historically Black university in Montgomery, Alabama. The teams compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) [1]. The department sponsors 18 NCAA Division I sports [1].
Design and History
Alabama State University was founded in 1867 in Marion, Alabama, as the Lincoln Normal School, established with $500 raised by nine formerly enslaved men known as the Marion Nine. The institution later moved to Montgomery [2].
The athletic logo has gone through three documented phases since the early 1970s:
- 1972–1984: The first recorded mark featured a cartoonish hornet drawn in yellow and black against a white background, with no accompanying text [3].
- 1984–2001: The logo was significantly redesigned. The palette was reduced to black and white, the composition grew to include an emblem above a large abbreviation, and the hornet was redrawn in a more geometric, mechanical style [3].
- 2001–present: The current primary logo combines the “ASU” letters with a three-dimensional hornet flying from the “U.” This version has remained in use since 2001 [3].
The current primary mark combines the block letters “ASU” with a hornet rendered in a bright, three-dimensional style. The hornet appears to fly forward from between the two ends of the letter “U,” with thin legs, gray eyes, and a menacing facial expression. The horizontal bar of the “A” ends in a sharp point that echoes the shape of the insect’s body [3].
The university’s official colors are black and old gold, which appear throughout the athletic identity [4]. The hornet mascot is named Buzzy [5].
Reliable public information identifying the specific designer or design agency responsible for any of these logo versions was not found in the sources reviewed for this article.
Typography
The “ASU” letters in the current primary logo are set in a bold, block-style sans-serif typeface. The letters occupy the majority of the emblem’s surface area, though the bright, three-dimensional hornet draws the eye more than the flat black letterforms [3]. The university’s official brand guidelines identify Helvetica and Garamond as the standard fonts for general university publications, with Arial or Myriad as acceptable sans-serif alternatives and Times New Roman as the serif alternative [4]. These guidelines apply to university-wide communications and do not specifically name the typeface used in the athletic logo.
Frequently Asked Questions
What conference do the Alabama State Hornets compete in?
The Hornets and Lady Hornets compete in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) [1].
What are the official Alabama State colors?
The official colors are black and old gold, as confirmed by the university’s brand guidelines [4].
When was the current Alabama State Hornets logo introduced?
The current primary logo, featuring the “ASU” letters with a three-dimensional hornet flying from the “U,” has been in use since 2001 [3].
Who designed the Alabama State Hornets logo?
Reliable public attribution of the designer or design agency for the current or earlier Hornets logos was not found in the sources reviewed for this article.
When was Alabama State University founded?
Alabama State University was founded in 1867 in Marion, Alabama, as the Lincoln Normal School, and later relocated to Montgomery [2].
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