The Drake Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The school’s athletic identity centers on a blue-and-white color scheme, a costumed mascot named Spike, and a live bulldog mascot named Griff, with the university’s school colors documented as blue and white.[1]
Design and History
In July 2005, Drake University unveiled a new athletics logo in a news conference led by University President David Maxwell and Athletic Director Dave Blank. The new mark featured a more modern-looking bulldog appearing to be in mid-run, and it replaced the block-style letters that had previously spelled out the school’s name.[2] The logo retained the traditional Drake blue, white, and grey color scheme.[3]
Both the primary and secondary logos introduced in this rebrand were designed by Phoenix Design Works, a New York City firm that had previously created high-profile logos for events such as the Super Bowl.[4]
Drake’s visual identity also includes a standalone block-style “D” in the university’s color scheme, which has been used on the jacket worn by the live bulldog mascot and has been the subject of trademark litigation.[5] Court records from that case identify distinct registered marks including an “Academic D,” an “Athletic D,” and a “Marching Spike” design, with the Academic D adopted in 2005 as part of the rebrand.[6]
Drake’s 2020 brand standards and style guide, filed as an exhibit in the trademark case, documents the university’s official typography, brand colors, and logo usage rules, and notes that the athletics’ unique bulldog branding can only be used with permission of the Drake athletics office.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The bulldog mascot imagery is central to Drake’s athletic identity. The costumed mascot is named Spike, while the live bulldog mascot is named Griff, a name chosen in reference to Griffith.[1] The 2005 redesign was described as making the mascot appear more like a real bulldog than a cartoon, with the dog shown on all fours in motion.[8]
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