The Oregon State Beavers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Oregon State University in Corvallis. The athletics department operates under a beaver-head mark that is distinct from the university’s institutional logo, which features a beaver perched atop an academic crest. The beaver has been associated with the school since 1916, when the yearbook was renamed “The Beaver,” and the animal is Oregon’s official state animal.[1]
Design and History
The current primary athletics logo is a stylized beaver head introduced in 2013 as part of a rebranding effort developed in partnership with Nike. Oregon State and Nike officials worked on a nearly two-year brand evolution program to refine the university’s athletic marks.[2] The new beaver logo featured “clean, contemporary lines and a modern, confident and timeless graphic structure,” according to the athletics department’s announcement.[2]
The 2013 mark replaced a cartoon-like beaver head logo that had been in use since 1997.[3] The new design was described as a “contemporary evolution” of that earlier beaver logo.[4] The shape of the logo was described by the school as “deliberate and fast, capitalizing on the unique shape of the animal’s head,” with careful consideration given to the beaver’s “powerful, iconic teeth” and “smoothly swept back fur coat.”[5]
As part of the 2013 rebrand, the interlocking “OS” logo that had debuted in 2007 was retired from athletic programs.[4] That earlier “OS” mark had been introduced as a secondary “spirit mark” to the beaver head, which remained the primary logo at the time.[6] The 2007 identity system was created in a collaborative effort between OSU, the Collegiate Licensing Corporation and Michael Morrow of the Morrow Creative Group.[7]
In 2017, Oregon State University unveiled a separate institutional logo for the academic side of the university, designed by the consultancy Pentagram. The new academic crest features a beaver sitting atop a shield, replacing the orange “OSU” letterform emblem that had served as the university’s logo since 2003.[8] The athletics programs continued using the stylized beaver head mark.[9] Pentagram noted that the academic beaver was designed to “co-exist with the football team’s logo designed by Nike in 2013.”[10]
Meaning and Symbolism
The beaver is Oregon’s official state animal, and the nickname “Beavers” became associated with the school in 1916.[1] The 2013 athletics rebrand was framed around the attributes of “Heritage, Strength, Victory, United, Innovation, Tenacity, Dedication and Integrity.”[2]
The 2017 institutional crest designed by Pentagram carries documented symbolism. Inside the crest, a tree and an open book represent knowledge. Three stars represent OSU’s three campuses in Corvallis, Bend and Newport, while also referencing Oregon as the 33rd state in the union. The year 1868 denotes OSU’s founding.[8] Pentagram’s design also referenced Oregon State’s four major grants: land, sea, sun and space. A lone Douglas fir, the state tree, towers through the center of the shield, and a large book straddles the tree.[10]
Typography and Design
The 2013 athletics rebrand included a custom typeface and numeral set, along with primary and secondary color palettes.[2] The print font featured “notches in the lettering to symbolize a beaver chewing.”[11] The color scheme remained orange, black and white, with a metallic bronze added as a trim accent.[11]
The university’s official brand guidelines identify three primary colors: Beaver Orange (Pantone 1665, HEX #D73F09), Paddletail Black (HEX #000000) and Bucktooth White (HEX #FFFFFF).[12] The university’s brand guide states that “aside from our logo, Beaver Orange is the most identifiable element of our university.”[12]
For the 2017 institutional logo, Pentagram selected the contemporary Roman typeface Newzald, designed by the Klim Type Foundry based in New Zealand. The Pentagram team chose the typeface because it struck “the right balance between academic gravitas and the rugged ethos and outdoorsy courses offered by the university.”[10]
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