Southern University in Baton Rouge fields its varsity teams as the Jaguars (men’s) and Lady Jaguars (women’s), competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level. The athletic program’s visual identity has centered on Columbia blue and gold, the university’s official colors, for decades. The current primary athletic mark is an “SU” monogram, a design that has been in place since 2016.
Design and History
The Southern Jaguars athletic logo has undergone several distinct changes since the 1960s. Early marks featured a full jaguar figure, which was later replaced by a jaguar head design used from approximately 1993 to 2001. That version showed a left-facing jaguar head in yellow and blue. [1]
In 2001, Southern introduced a new primary logo described as “a powerful jaguar: fangs bared, claws out, crouching over the interlocked letters SU and ready to spring.” The design was created by Joe Bosack Graphic Design, a Pennsylvania-based firm specializing in school graphics. The 2001 launch was tied to a broader licensing effort by athletic director Floyd Kerr, who noted that before this mark, unauthorized use of Southern’s previous logo, a blue oval with gold letters “SU,” was widespread. [2]
The jaguar figure was retired from the primary mark in 2016, when the athletics identity shifted to a wordmark-based design. The current primary logo is an “SU” monogram in yellow and light blue, with the jaguar head retained as a secondary or alternate element. [3] [4]
In 2018, Southern’s football program adopted a refreshed uniform system under a new apparel partnership with Under Armour, replacing Russell as the equipment provider. The update altered the “SU” logo on the helmets, turning the letters white to match the school’s official emblem, and changed the numeral colors on blue jerseys from primarily white to primarily gold. [5] [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
Southern University’s official colors are Columbia blue and gold. [7] The university’s visual style guide designates the athletic wordmark as the official “Southern Jaguars” word logo, used for athletic facilities and related applications. [8]
Beyond the documented color scheme and the jaguar mascot itself, no official source in the available research provides a stated symbolic meaning for the jaguar figure, the “SU” monogram, or the individual colors in the athletic logo.
Typography and Design
The current primary athletic identity relies on an interlocked “SU” monogram rather than a full wordmark. The university’s visual style guide also specifies a “Southern Jaguars” word logo for athletic branding, though the guide’s typography specifications are not detailed in the available excerpts. [8]
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