William & Mary Tribe is the athletics identity of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The program’s visual identity centers on an interlocked “W&M” monogram and a griffin mascot, rendered in the university’s traditional green and gold colors.
Design and History
The current athletics logo system was introduced on July 24, 2018, as part of a “revitalized brand” announced by Director of Athletics Samantha K. Huge. The redesign aimed to align the athletics brand more closely with the university’s overall identity. The primary mark features an interlocked “W&M” with a fierce griffin and the word “Tribe.” A simple primary mark uses the interlocked “W&M” alone, harkening back to what the university describes as its most historically prevalent athletics logo, dating to 1899.[1]
The 2018 rebrand was developed through collaboration between the athletics department and the design team within William & Mary’s University Communications unit. The process began a year earlier with a committee of administrators and designers, and the designs were vetted by focus groups including coaches, student-athletes, alumni, campus constituencies, and the athletics apparel partner Under Armour.[2]
The previous logo era began in December 2007, when the college unveiled a new “W&M” design featuring an ampersand. That change was prompted by a 2006 NCAA ruling that deemed the previous athletics logo, which included two green and gold feathers, impermissibly “hostile and abusive.” The college appealed the decision but was denied. A logo committee reviewed roughly 600 possible designs before settling on an updated version of the existing “W&M” mark. The committee enlisted New York-based design firm Phoenix Design Works, and committee member Connie Desaulniers, a 1975 graduate and Williamsburg artist, drew the distinct smaller ampersand incorporated into the new design.[3]
The feathered “WM” logo that preceded it first appeared in a 1974 football yearbook and on the helmets of the 1977 football team. Indian imagery was removed from the athletic logo in 1978, and the “WM” with two feathers became the university’s official new logo.[4]
The griffin was introduced as the university’s mascot on April 6, 2010, following a selection process that included five finalists and more than 11,000 survey responses. The mascot search committee, chaired by athletics director Terry Driscoll, looked for a symbol representing strength and intelligence.[5] In the 2018 rebrand, the original griffin illustration was retained in the athletics visual identity package as the mark of the Kid’s Club, while new, more aggressive griffin illustrations were introduced for the primary athletics marks.[2]
The Tribe script logo, which had been prominent before 2018, was phased out of new items but remains part of the program’s history.[2] The nickname “Tribe” was first referenced in the 1924 edition of the Colonial Echo, and it became the exclusive nickname in the early 1980s.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The griffin is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. According to the university, the lion’s body represents the college’s creation by royal charter in London in 1693, while the eagle’s head represents the instrumental role William & Mary played in the American Revolution.[6] The university also notes that the coat of arms of King William and Queen Mary was adorned with lions, and that the griffin is often depicted in British heraldry. William & Mary is one of only two U.S. colleges or universities granted a coat of arms by the College of Heralds in London.[6]
The university describes the griffin as symbolizing Tribe athletes through “the lion’s strength and the eagle’s vision,” suggesting a union of strength with intelligence.[7]
Typography and Design
The 2018 logo system introduced an interlocked “W&M” in a unique typeface, rendered in gold and green. The design reflects one of the college’s most prominent historic athletics logos.[8] The Tribe wordmark was de-italicized and rendered in a bold sans serif for use on uniforms and team apparel.[8]
The 2007 logo redesign returned to the college’s “more traditional colors of green and gold” instead of the more recently used green and yellow.[3] The university’s official colors include William & Mary Green and William & Mary Gold, along with Spirit Gold and William & Mary Silver, with Pantone specifications provided in the university’s visual identity guidelines.[9]
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