Temple University’s athletics identity centers on two marks: the geometric Temple “T,” which serves as the university’s primary symbol, and the owl, the school’s mascot since its founding in the 1880s. Temple was the first school in the United States to adopt the owl as its symbol, a choice rooted in the university’s origins as a night school for working students. Founder Russell Conwell encouraged these students with the remark, “The owl of the night makes the eagle of the day.” [1]
Design and History
On August 1, 2023, Temple formally introduced a new athletics logo featuring a stylized owl with wings outstretched and wrapping upward around the Temple “T,” all enclosed in a diamond-shaped outline. [2] The well-known Temple “T” remains the university’s primary mark, while the new owl serves as a secondary athletics logo representing the mascot, athletic traditions and legacy. [3]
The 2023 owl mark was designed by Joe Bosack, a 1994 Temple graduate and founder of Joe Bosack & Co., a sports branding firm. Bosack collaborated with students in Associate Professor Bryan Satalino’s senior capstone graphic design course at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture during the fall 2021 semester, working through drawings, focus group feedback from alumni and stakeholders, and final presentations to university leadership. [2]
The previous owl mark had been created roughly 30 years earlier in a detailed, aggressive style that included both full-body and head-only versions. According to Lael Troupe, Temple’s director of visual strategy, such detailed logos fell out of favor about a decade ago as preferences shifted toward simpler, cleaner lines. [2]
The Temple “T” itself has a notable origin story. It was created in 1983 by graphic design students at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, chosen by President Peter J. Liacouras early in his administration. [1] The T is stylized and geometric, made up of four separate angular forms arranged to produce a simple T within a larger, more complex T, set in a block of solid cherry. [1] Prior to the T’s creation during the university’s centennial celebration in 1984, the school’s logo was a seal depicting an ancient building and the school’s name. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The diamond shape surrounding the 2023 owl mark is a deliberate nod to Temple founder Russell Conwell’s famous “Acres of Diamonds” speech. [2] The mark also incorporates the Temple “T,” which Bosack described as “a profound symbol of this institution” and “an icon of higher education in the city of Philadelphia and well beyond.” [2]
The owl itself carries longstanding meaning for Temple. The university’s athletics traditions page notes that the owl is accepted as a universal symbol for wisdom and knowledge, and was the symbol of Athena, goddess of wisdom, arts, skills and warfare. Because of these attributes, the owl serves as both an emblem for a center of learning and an appropriate mascot for athletic teams, described as “perceptive and resourceful, quick and courageous” and “really a fierce fighter.” [1]
Typography and Design
Temple’s official colors are cherry and white, a combination the university adopted by 1888, making it the first school in the nation to officially use cherry as one of its colors. [1] In 2008, the university designated Pantone Matching System (PMS) 201 as the single official color for Temple, described as “a true cherry color” that was slightly darker and richer than the previously used PMS 200. The web equivalent for PMS 201 is hex 9E1B34. [5] Temple’s trademark licensing office lists the official school colors as cherry red, yellow, metallic silver, silver, black and white. [6]
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