The South Florida Bulls are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. The athletic identity is built around the “Iconic Bull U,” a mark featuring a bull’s head profile that forms a stylized letter “U.” The university’s official brand guidelines describe the Bull U as a strong and identifiable mark that uniquely represents the university. [1]
Design and History
The Bull U was created by Tom Veit, who developed the athletic logo in 2003-04 with the goal of creating something both current and able to stand the test of time. [2] The mark was designed by The Silverman Group, a Connecticut-based firm that has created logos for college and professional teams. [3] It replaced USF’s previous athletic logo, a side profile of a Brahman bull. [3]
In September 2018, USF unveiled a new academic logo featuring the image of a bull, intended to usher in a new era for the university. The design drew criticism over several months, with some comparing it to the Merrill Lynch bull. [4] In May 2019, the university announced it would stop using the new bull logo and instead adopt the “Iconic Bull U,” which USF Athletics had used for almost 15 years, to represent the entire university. The university also returned to its traditional green-and-gold color palette. [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The Bull U combines the university’s initial with the bull mascot, creating a single mark that serves as a symbol for the university’s ideas and ideals. [1] The athletic teams are named for USF’s mascot, the Golden Brahman. [6]
Typography and Design
USF’s official brand guidelines specify Trade Gothic Next LT Pro as the university’s primary typeface. The athletic wordmark lockups combine the standard USF Athletic wordmark with a customized title plate set in Eurostile Extended Black. A custom-made USF Athletics typeface is reserved only for official use in the SOUTH FLORIDA wordmark. [7]
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