Minot State University, located in Minot, North Dakota, fields its athletic teams as the Minot State Beavers. The university’s mascot is the beaver, and its official school colors are red and green.[1] The beaver was chosen as the university’s mascot in 1924, when the institution achieved collegiate status as Minot State Teacher’s College.[2] In 2004, the mascot was named “Buckshot” through a contest involving more than 700 fourth graders.[3]
Design and History
In June 2012, the Minot State athletic department introduced an updated primary and secondary logo package, along with a new word mark and a custom typeface for athletic publications and marketing. The refresh was part of the department’s strategic marketing upgrade as the university began its first year in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and full membership in NCAA Division II.[4]
The 2012 primary logo utilized the university’s beaver mascot and its distinctive “M,” while the secondary “Beaver head” logo was also upgraded. The updates were phased in over the following years, with team apparel, equipment, jerseys and facilities changing as they were normally replaced.[4]
Minot State Athletics partnered with Dallas-based Torch Creative for the logo and typeface upgrade. Torch Creative, founded by Brad Bishop and Michael Thurman in August 2005, has counted the National Hockey League, Brigham Young University, the AT&T Cotton Bowl and the NHL and NBA All-Star Games among its clients.[4]
Prior to the 2020 redesign, the athletic logo featured a beaver climbing up on a green “M,” representing Minot. In 2020, the logo changed to feature only the head of Buckshot the beaver, colored red. Currently the entire logo is red.[3] That same year, Minot State Athletics re-introduced its “Beaver Head” logo, featuring it prominently on the department’s redesigned website.[5]
In August 2018, Minot State University unveiled a separate academic logo as part of a new branding strategy. That logo uses the historic Old Main outline with “Minot State University” displayed below the stylized roofline.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The beaver mascot has been associated with the university since 1924, when the institution became Minot State Teacher’s College.[2] The 2020 athletic logo depicts the head of Buckshot the beaver in red, the university’s official color.[3]
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