The Jefferson Rams are the athletic teams of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The program carries the Rams nickname that belonged to Philadelphia University (formerly Philadelphia Textile) before the two institutions merged in 2017. The athletic department unveiled its current visual identity in October 2017, several months after the merger took effect.
Design and History
The Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) Athletic Department revealed its new athletic branding and colors at Ram Madness, a basketball season pep rally held in October 2017 at the Gallagher Center. The announcement came after the two schools had integrated over the preceding summer. The university had announced the merger in May 2017, and the combined institution adopted the Jefferson name in July of that year.[1][2]
The primary logo represents the entire Jefferson Rams Athletic Department rather than a single team. The version shown in the official announcement was described as a reverse of the primary logo.[2] The athletic department directs logo requests and color code inquiries to its Director of Athletic Communications.[3]
The Rams nickname was retained from Philadelphia University, whose teams were previously known as the Philadelphia Rams and, earlier, the Philadelphia Textile Rams. The merged school chose to keep PhilaU’s nickname for its athletic program.[4] At the branding reveal, “Phil the Ram,” the PhilaU mascot, appeared wearing a Jefferson Rams uniform.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Jefferson Rams color scheme is described by the athletic department as a simplified version of the Jefferson color palette. The identity system incorporates volt green as a secondary color while keeping the Jefferson blues as the primary colors. The official primary colors are Rams Dark Blue and Rams Light Blue, with Volt Green as a secondary color.[2]
The athletic department stated that the primary logo is “an identity the school can rally behind, that reflects the spirit and tenacity of the organization.”[2]
Typography and Design
The athletic website was redesigned by PrestoSports to reflect the new brand following the October 2017 reveal.[2] No designer or agency attribution for the logo itself has been publicly documented in the available sources.
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