The Lincoln Pennsylvania Lions are the athletic teams of Lincoln University, the nation’s first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU), located near Oxford in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university’s athletic teams compete in NCAA Division II as members of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA).[1]
Design and History
In September 2013, Lincoln University unveiled a new athletics logo and branding system for its CIAA Division II program. The announcement came after nearly 30 years without a complete athletics identity update. The new branding included marks for a primary Lion, a Lion head, an LU lock, word marks, and number marks.[2]The 2013 redesign was part of a broader university rebranding effort that also included the adoption of a new university logo, the official addition of “The” to the university’s name, and the launch of the “Where Being The First Matters” promotional campaign. University president Dr. Robert R. Jennings described the new athletics marks as “the first complete branding marks for our Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.”[3]Before the 2013 update, Lincoln’s sole athletics logo depicted the orange and blue head and upper torso of its lion mascot in a passive stride, with an “LU” scrawled into its mane.[2]Meaning and Symbolism
The university’s colors are orange and blue, a palette that dates to Lincoln’s early history. During its early years, Lincoln was known colloquially as “the Black Princeton” due to its Princeton-educated founder and early faculty, rigorous classical curriculum, and ties to the Presbyterian Church. The comparison was reinforced by similarities in colors and mascots: Princeton’s colors were orange and black while Lincoln’s were orange and blue, and Princeton’s mascot was a tiger while Lincoln’s was a lion.[1]The official athletics colors are orange PMS 1585 and blue PMS 662, which were specified as part of the 2013 branding system to accent the Lincoln brand.[2] The university’s mascot is Luther the Lion.[1]Typography and Design
Lincoln University maintains separate branding systems for its academic and athletic identities. The university has four official academic marks: standard, stacked, stacked center, and the University Seal. Athletic logos are managed separately by the Department of Athletics and are not to be used for university collateral.[4]The university’s official academic wordmark uses the typefaces Source Serif Pro and Ronnia, with Source Serif Pro used for the “Lincoln University” wordmark and Ronnia for the “Learn. Liberate. Lead.” tagline. The university’s official colors are blue PMS 662 and orange PMS 1585, matching the athletics palette.[4]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.
