The Florida State Seminoles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. The athletics brand is built around a set of restricted-use marks, most notably the Seminole Head, which the university has called “one of the most recognizable and iconic marks in sports.”[1] The official colors are Garnet and Gold.[2]
Design and History
In 1970, two drawings by graphic artist John Roberge, including what became FSU’s iconic Indian head logo, were adopted as official university insignias.[3] In the early 1970s, FSU designed new logos, including a spear with a feather, for uniforms and merchandise in the school’s garnet and gold colors.[4] The Seminole Spear design on the football helmet was first introduced in 1976, Bobby Bowden’s first year as head coach.[5]
In April 2014, Florida State unveiled a refined Seminole Head logo as part of a brand identity overhaul developed with Nike. The university said the previous logo did not reproduce well in a number of mediums and asked Nike for help refining the design so consistency could be achieved without diminishing the identity of the original image.[6] The refined Seminole Head logo was approved by Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman James Billie.[7] The Seminole logo serves as the primary representation of the brand and the main identifying device for Florida State Athletics, while the revised Seminole Spear plays an increased role as a secondary identity, primarily for uniforms and helmets.[6]
In July 2024, Florida State University launched a new academic mark, a wordmark displaying the letters “FSU” in gold with garnet outlining, which became the primary visual identifier for the university as of July 1, 2024.[8] The change reserved the Seminole Head for exclusive use by athletics.[1] The university’s brand guidelines state that athletic marks, including the Seminole Head and Spearhead, may only be used by athletics.[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2014 uniform redesign incorporated elements symbolic of the university’s relationship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The football jersey sleeves contained the Tribe’s symbols for Arrow, Man on Horse, and Fire, with the helmet spears crossing at the back representative of the crossed bars of the state flag.[6] The university’s brand guidelines note that Heritage Turquoise may not be used outside of the Nike N7 relationship, as this color signifies FSU’s relationship with and respect for Indigenous people.[8]
Typography and Design
As part of the 2014 identity, a custom display alphabet called “Unconquered” was created for Florida State Athletics. The name references the Seminoles of Florida, who call themselves the “Unconquered People,” descendants of roughly 300 Indians who eluded capture by the U.S. army in the 19th century.[6] Custom wordmarks for “Florida State,” “Seminoles,” and “FSU” were also designed, derived from the primary typography, along with a Seminoles script designed as a nod to the heritage of baseball and softball at Florida State.[5] The secondary sans-serif typeface United was selected to complement the primary typeface.[5]
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