The University of Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams of the University of Maine in Orono, competing in NCAA Division I across the America East Conference, Hockey East, and the Colonial Athletic Association for football.[1] The university’s primary athletic logo is the Maine bear logo, a registered mark that serves as the main identity for athletics and spirit materials.[2]
Design and History
The University of Maine unveiled its current bear logo and school colors during the 1999 Homecoming festivities.[3] The mark features a front view of a black bear head with its mouth open showing its teeth, with the word “Maine” in all capital letters behind the top of the bear’s head.[4] A later trademark filing describes the same design as a “snarling black bear head with its mouth open showing its teeth.”[5]
Prior to 1999, the athletics program used a different bear head logo from roughly 1980 to 1999, which featured a roaring bear’s head beneath a blue Maine script wordmark.[6] A legacy version of the bear’s head used by the university in the 1970s and 1980s was later revived for a commemorative merchandise collection in 2018.[7]
According to the university’s brand guidelines, the Maine bear logo can stand alone, while the bear head logo should be used alongside the word “Maine” or the full crest logo on products. Both the bear logo and the bear head logo are registered marks, and the university states that “this is the only bear used to represent the University of Maine.”[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The black bear has been the mascot of the University of Maine since 1914, when a live black bear cub named Jeff was introduced at a football rally.[9] The university’s official school colors, established with the 1999 logo unveiling, are “Maine blue” (a deep sky blue), navy blue, and white.[3] The athletics department lists its colors as blue (PMS 289 and 292) and white.[1]
Typography and Design
The bear head logo is used alongside the word “Maine” in all capital letters, positioned behind the top of the bear’s head.[4] The university’s institutional brand guidelines specify that the full crest logo is the primary academic logo, while the Maine bear logo is the primary athletic logo.[2] The bear logo and bear head logo may not be incorporated into other logos, overlapped with other graphics, deconstructed, or placed inside outlined shapes such as circles or shields.[8]
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.
