The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky. The program’s visual identity centers on the Colonel mascot, adopted in 1963, and the school colors of maroon and white, which date to the university’s earliest years.
Design and History
Eastern Kentucky’s earliest athletic nickname was the “Maroons,” derived from the school colors of maroon and white. That name was associated with the school from the 1920s and continued for roughly 40 years, with the Maroons remaining the official mascot until 1963. That year, EKU President Robert Martin decided the school needed a “real” mascot and selected the Kentucky Colonel, an honorary title with deep roots in the state, to accompany the school color as Eastern’s mascot. The original Colonel design was created by Louisville Courier-Journal editorial cartoonist Hugh Haynie. A photocopy of Haynie’s cartoon that inspired the EKU colonel is held in the university’s digital collections and dated circa 1964. [1] [2]
EKU’s visual identity has undergone numerous design changes over the decades. University archival materials describe the evolution from an older style of colonel waving an EKU flag to a newer colonel logo with white hair and an intense stare, and from a big blocky maroon “E” to an italicized slanted version. [3]
Logo tracking sources document several distinct eras. A secondary logo featuring maroon “EKU” letters with white and maroon outlines, where the right top of the K and left top of the U connect, was used from 1974 to 2004 and briefly became the primary mark in 2004. [4] A wordmark with bars and slanted ends over “EKU” was used on football helmets from 1979 through 2005. [5]
From 2006 to 2017, the primary logo featured a colonel head with flowing white, maroon and silver hair wearing a white hat with maroon trim, placed beside the wordmark “EASTERN KENTUCKY” over “COLONELS” in maroon with silver trim. [6] In 2017, the program introduced a new primary mark: a slanted “EKU” in white on a maroon background. [7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Colonel nickname honors the honorary title of Kentucky Colonel, which had been used in the state since the late 1800s. By 1931, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels had been formed. President Martin selected the Colonel as a mascot that would embody the state, comparing it to the Minutemen of Massachusetts and the Sooners of Oklahoma as a unique symbol of Kentucky. [1]
Maroon has been the official color of Eastern athletics since the school’s inception as Eastern Kentucky State Normal School. [8]
Typography and Design
EKU’s official brand assets include the university logo, Power E logo, Primary Wordmark, EKU seal, Colonel athletic emblem and Colonel logos, all registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. [9] The university maintains a brand guide that describes best practices and usage guidelines for its trademarks and visual assets, including official colors, logos, wordmarks and fonts. [10]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
