The Idaho State Bengals are the varsity athletic teams of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. The university’s visual identity centers on the Bengal tiger mascot, a tradition that dates to the 1920s when the school, then known as the Idaho Technical Institute, adopted the Bengal Tiger as its mascot. The school’s official colors are orange and black, with orange formally adopted in 1927. [1]
Design and History
In 2019, Idaho State University introduced a comprehensive brand evolution that included a new Bengal head logo, a new university mark, and updated fonts and colors. The new Bengal head was unveiled in August 2019, one week before fall classes began, marking the first update to the Bengal head in 20 years. The previous Bengal head had been introduced in 1997 as part of an athletics department rebrand. [2] [3]
The 2019 redesign was a collaboration between Idaho State and Mitchell + Palmer, a Boise-based marketing agency. The agency spent nearly a year gathering data and speaking with students, alumni, employees, and community members about the university and what it means to be a Bengal. The design team was supervised by an ISU alumnus. [2] [4]
The new Bengal head features a simplified, modernized design with less detail, sharper edges, ears poised in an attack position, and an open, roaring mouth. According to university officials, the mark was designed to accurately represent the fierceness, resoluteness, and pride of being a Bengal while honoring the previous Bengal head. [4] [5]
The Bengal head logo is a main element of the university’s new brand identity standards, along with a new university mark. The redesign also included updating and re-engineering the institutional mark and recalibrating the interlocking “I-S” spirit mark. [6] [5]
The new Bengal logo received national recognition in January 2020 when it was named one of sportslogos.net’s “Top 10 Primary Logos of the Last Decade,” a list that included professional sports organizations as well as colleges. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
Orange is central to the Idaho State identity. Stuart Summers, associate vice president for Marketing and Communications, described the color’s role in the rebrand: “Orange isn’t just a color. It’s an attitude.” In earlier comments about the university’s branding direction, Summers noted, “Orange is the color of signs. It says, ‘Hey, look at me.'” [2] [3]
The Bengal mascot itself traces to Ralph Hutchinson, the 1920s football coach for whom Hutchinson Quad is named. Hutchinson graduated from Princeton and borrowed its tiger mascot and colors for his new home school. Prior to adopting the Bengal tiger, the school had used a Bantam mascot. [1]
Typography and Design
As part of the 2019 brand evolution, Idaho State introduced new official fonts alongside the new Bengal head and university mark. The university’s brand guidelines specify that only official fonts and colors may be used in university communications. [7] [8]
The university’s official color palette includes “ISU Orange,” specified as Pantone 165 C with web value #F47920, and “Bengal Black.” The brand guidelines also include secondary colors, including natural greens and browns, which were added to distinguish Idaho State from other institutions in the state. [9] [1]
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.
