The New Hampshire Wildcats are the athletic teams of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in Durham, New Hampshire. The university’s athletics department maintains a family of official marks, with the Wildcat Head serving as the primary athletic logo and the Wildcat Body and Wildcat Paw Print as secondary marks. The name “UNH Wildcats” and “New Hampshire Wildcats” are registered trademarks of the university.[1]
Design and History
The Wildcat was voted in as the official UNH mascot on February 4, 1926, chosen over contenders including the Durham Bulls, huskies, eagles and a unicorn. Students believed the speed, litheness, cunning and resourcefulness of the wildcat were attributes found in UNH athletic teams.[2] The face of a snarling wildcat first appeared on the warm-up jacket of the 1929 baseball team, and in 1939 the varsity hockey team added a cat logo to its jerseys.[3]
In the summer of 2000, UNH Athletics introduced new Wildcat logos designed by SME Power Branding of New York. The logos were created to give UNH athletics an immediately recognizable look that was consistent from team to team, featuring a more active and dynamic Wildcat.[4] At the same time, the athletic department created a friendlier mascot, Wild E. Cat, for use with children’s programs, and a six-foot costume was designed from the logo.[2]
The current primary athletic mark is the Wildcat Head, which requires the registered trademark symbol placed below the trademark, aligning with the bottom fur of the head.[1] A trademark registration for the university describes a mark consisting of a wildcat head on top of the word “UNH.”[5] An earlier registration for “UNH WILDCATS” describes a mark consisting of a wildcat head on top of the wording “UNH WILDCATS.”[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
UNH’s official colors are UNH Blue and white, with UNH Blue described as a dark blue matching Pantone color 287.[7] The university’s athletic marks are described by UNH as symbolizing both the program’s tradition and its future as a strong competitor in intercollegiate athletics.[1]
Typography and Design
UNH’s trademark guidelines specify that the university wordmark is composed in the typeface Glypha Bold, which is only to be used in the University wordmark. The spacing between letters and words has been adjusted for maximum effect and should not be altered.[1] These specifications apply to the university’s primary logo, which combines the university emblem with the official school wordmark, distinct from the athletics Wildcat marks.
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