The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The university’s athletic identity is built around two primary marks: the Stretch Y, an oval-framed letter Y that serves as the primary athletic logo, and a cougar head graphic used as a secondary mark. Both are governed by the university’s official brand guidelines.
Design and History
Before 1985, BYU athletics had no official athletic logo, and teams frequently used their own symbols and lettering. The first official logo, a “cougar reaching into the U” mark, was designated in 1984 and characterized BYU sports for the next 15 years. During this period, uniforms appeared in a wide spectrum of blues, and the BYU Bookstore and other vendors produced so many variations of merchandise that most alumni could not identify the university’s official brand. [1]
On August 16, 1999, BYU unveiled a comprehensive new identity system for men’s and women’s athletics. The rebrand introduced a family of new logos featuring a more ferocious-looking cougar, mountain silhouettes, and a darker shade of blue. The school also introduced tan as an accent color. The decision to darken the blue was driven in part by fan preferences: administrators noted that fans were reluctant to wear bright royal blue, and sales records showed a preference for darker shades. [1] [2]
The 1999 rebrand also included dramatically redesigned football uniforms by Nike, which featured a white “bib” design with blue numbers. The uniforms lasted only six games before the NCAA informed BYU it could not have white on the home jersey except for numbers and accents. The new logos, however, remained in use for years. [3]
In November 2014, BYU unveiled a modernized version of its classic cougar-head mark. The redesign was handled by Torch Creative, a Texas-based design firm, whose owner Brad Bishop said BYU approached the firm in June about updating the vintage Cougar mark. [4] [5]
In 2015, BYU formally adopted the “Sailor Cougar,” a cleaned-up version of a beloved throwback logo, as its official secondary mark alongside the Stretch Y. Duff Tittle, BYU’s Associate Athletic Director over communications, said the licensing and marketing teams wanted a secondary logo that incorporated a cougar and decided to clean up the classic Sailor Cougar design. [6]
According to BYU’s official brand site, the Stretch Y is the university’s primary athletic mark, approved for athletics use only in navy, white, or royal. The cougar head graphic is described as “an updated version of a mark used in decades past” that “evokes both the university’s heritage and its energetic present.” [7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Stretch Y logo reflects the Y on the mountain above campus, which BYU’s brand guidelines describe as the university’s “most visible identifier.” The logo uses a collegiate typeface that suggests “the youth, energy, and tradition of a college campus.” [7]
When the 1999 identity system was introduced, athletics leaders said they wanted to capture the feeling of the Provo mountains, which are a striking memory for many alumni. Rondo Fehlberg, former director of men’s athletics, said, “We wanted to capture some of that feeling and some of the loyalty that’s tied to the strength of the mountains.” The cougar in the new logos was designed to have “an element of intensity or fierceness,” according to athletic director Val Hale, who noted the design evolved from the statue in front of the stadium. [1]
Typography and Design
BYU’s official brand colors are navy, white, and royal. The navy is specified as Pantone 648 C with hex code #002E5D, and royal is Pantone 293 C with hex code #0047BA. [8] The brand guidelines note that royal should be used as an accent color and should not be used for BYU’s primary logos. [9]
BYU’s brand guidelines require that the Stretch Y always include the oval and that the Y of the monogram cannot be used on its own. Athletic stationery features the Stretch Y and the Ringside Narrow typeface. [10] [11]
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