The Ottawa Gee-Gees are the athletic teams representing the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario. The team’s visual identity centers on a racehorse head logo incorporating two letter Gs, a mark that has become closely associated with the university’s varsity programs.
Design and History
The University of Ottawa adopted garnet and grey as its official colors, and like many nineteenth-century institutions, the athletics teams were known only by the school’s colors. A connection was made between the shorthand “GGs” and “Gee-Gee,” the common British nickname for a racehorse. The unique Gee-Gees name and iconic logo known today are a result of 170 years of history.[1]
Since a Gee-Gee is also the lead horse in a race, the logo of a horse encompassing two letter Gs was adopted as the official logo. The logo exemplifies the speed and determination associated with the team name.[2] The two Gs stand for “Garnet and Grey,” incorporated into the silhouette of a racehorse.[3]
The university officially adopted the Gee-Gee as an official team name and forged a logo with the eponymous pace-setting horse in classic Ottawa garnet around the 1970s.[4] The horse mascot was adopted in the 1970s, based on the name being both an abbreviation of the team colors, garnet and grey, as well as British slang for the first racehorse out of the gate.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Gee-Gees logo combines the university’s traditional garnet and grey colors with the image of a racehorse. The two Gs in the logo reference both the school colors and the team’s nickname, while the horse imagery reflects the meaning of “Gee-Gee” as the lead horse in a race.[2][3]
Typography and Design
The Gee-Gees logo is available in horizontal and vertical formats and can be reproduced in color, in black, or in white. The Gee-Gees emblem may be used on its own, but only in combination with the complete uOttawa logo.[6] Official Gee-Gees colors for uniforms, fabrics, paper, or the web include Gee-Gees garnet (Pantone 7421 C) and Gee-Gees grey (Pantone Cool Grey 6 C).[7]
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