The Western Washington Vikings are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. The program competes in NCAA Division II as a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, with the women’s rowing team competing in the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference. The university’s official athletics colors are Navy Blue, Slate Blue, Silver, and White. [1]
Design and History
In the summer of 2000, Western’s athletics department introduced a new “family of marks” as part of a complete brand identity program designed to enhance the image and marketability of the athletic program. The marks were created by SME/SFX Entertainment Co. following several months of consultations through a committee that included representatives of the athletic department, students, alumni, faculty, public information, the campus bookstore, and others. [2]
The primary mark from that 2000 introduction features a Viking ship with “Western Washington University” written in an exclusively developed font. The secondary mark features a Viking head and helmet. The two marks were designed to be used in various combinations with the font to provide a variety of applications for athletic teams and merchandising efforts. [2]
Today, the university’s Athletics marks include the Viking head, Athletics lettermarks and wordmarks, and related lockups. These marks are restricted to varsity Athletics communications, club sports with Athletics approval, and official Athletics merchandise and promotional materials. The athletic logo is not permitted for use in academic, administrative, or student organization materials unless explicitly approved, and it should never be used in place of the university logo. [3]
In January 2026, Western Washington University refreshed its official university logo to improve consistency, usability, and accessibility across digital and print materials. The update included updated Athletics mark guidance, consolidating all logo information into a single resource page. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The university’s official athletics brand page identifies the mascot as the Vikings and lists the official athletics marks as including “Western Washington University,” “Vikings,” “WWU,” “WWU Vikings,” “Western,” and “Western Washington Vikings.” [5]
The Viking identity has been the subject of campus discussion. In 2015, The Washington Post reported on controversy at Western over the mascot, and the issue was renewed in 2022 when the university conducted an investigation into whether to retire the Viking mascot due to concerns about colonialism. As of February 2024, Victor E. Viking continued as the mascot of the institution. [6]
Typography and Design
The 2000 primary mark incorporated “Western Washington University” written in an exclusively developed font created for the athletics brand identity program. [2]
The official athletics color palette is documented by the university as follows: [7]
- Navy Blue: PMS 282, Web #00285e, RGB 0,40,94
- Slate Blue: PMS 652, Web #5387bd, RGB 83,135,189
- Gray: Cool Gray 4, Web #c2c4c6, RGB 194,196,198
The university’s athletics brand page confirms that Athletics is authorized to use its own color palette for approved spirit marks, uniforms, and promotional materials, identifying the colors as Viking Blue (Pantone 282) and Viking Light Blue (Pantone 652). [5]
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