The University of Kentucky Wildcats athletic identity is anchored by the interlocking “UK” monogram, a mark that has appeared on Kentucky uniforms since 1997 and has served as the primary athletic logo since 2005.[1][2] In February 2016, UK Athletics unveiled an updated graphic identity developed in collaboration with Nike, its longtime apparel partner, after more than 18 months of work with players, coaches, administrators, historians and alumni.[3]
Design and History
The interlocking UK logo has been seen on every Kentucky uniform since 1997.[1] The version in use across all UK sports from 2005 onward was revitalized in the 2016 update “using consistent and practical geometry to bring balance to the mark in size and scale and improve the interlocking relationship between the ‘U’ and the ‘K.'”[3]
An earlier refinement of the interlocking UK appeared in April 2015, when photos of the new court at Memorial Coliseum revealed a subtle change to the mark. Jason Schlafer, UK’s executive associate athletics director, said at the time, “We decided it was time to refresh our primary mark in a way that highlights the ‘K’ but also communicates the ‘We are UK’ message.”[1] UK had been working with Nike for about a year on that earlier refresh, which included research and feedback from athletes, coaches and administrators.[1]
As part of the February 2016 identity update, UK Athletics also introduced a new Wildcat logo, a secondary mark first featured on the men’s basketball team’s shooting shirts.[3] The update unified all 22 Kentucky varsity sports under consistent colors, logos, lettering and numerals.[3]
Separately, in December 2015 the University of Kentucky retired its academic logo featuring a silhouette of Memorial Hall, replacing it with an interlocked UK resembling the athletics mark. That academic rebrand was developed by the New York design firm Pentagram, working with UK’s Lexington-based branding partner Cornett.[4][5]
Meaning and Symbolism
Royal blue and white remain the primary colors of Kentucky Athletics, with black, cool gray and metallic silver included in the secondary color palette.[3] The university’s signature blue is PMS 286.[6]
Kentucky’s checkerboard pattern remains an important part of the identity. Echoing the checkerboard blinker worn by Secretariat in winning the Triple Crown in 1973, the UK checkerboard is used as a graphic, with its eight units representing the eight NCAA national championships won by the men’s basketball team.[3]
The “Wildcats” nickname dates back more than a century, originating when Commandant Carbusier, then head of the military department at the university, told students the football team “fought like Wildcats.”[3]
Typography and Design
The 2016 identity system included a custom typographic design. According to UK Athletics, the typographic system creates a relationship between each form, with inner and outer strokes relating to each other in equal units, while the “U” and the “K” are built with common proportions. The “Kentucky Block” custom font was described as fusing “modern foundational forms with universal functionality that is undeniably Kentucky.”[7]
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