The Evolution of the University of Missouri Logo: A Visual History
The University of Missouri (MU), also known as Mizzou, stands as a prominent public, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. As the flagship institution of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Mizzou boasts a rich history and a strong athletic tradition, with its teams, the Missouri Tigers, competing in the Southeastern Conference. A key element of the university's identity is its logo, which has evolved significantly over time, reflecting the institution's growth and changing image.
The Early Days: From Militiamen to Mascot
The story of the University of Missouri's logo is intertwined with the history of its mascot, the Tiger. While the university was founded in 1839, the Tiger mascot didn't emerge until much later. During the Civil War, Columbia was threatened by guerrilla groups. In response, a group of approximately 120 local citizens banded together to defend the town, forming a militia unit known as the "Missouri Tigers." This group's fierce and fighting spirit became associated with the university, and the name "Tigers" was adopted by Mizzou's first football team in 1890.
In the early years, there was no official or consistent depiction of the tiger. The student-portrayed tiger mascot dates back to at least the 1940s, with members of the Tiger Claws pep squad playing the part. Early costumes consisted of a body made out of yellow cloth with painted stripes and a head made of papier-mâché. The design of the costumes tended to vary widely, ranging from a smiling tiger with its tongue sticking out to a more ferocious looking growling tiger. Before 1981, there were at times two mascots, a female tiger (Lil Tiger, who wore an apron) and a male tiger (Big Tiger).
Early Visual Representations: A Variety of Tigers
Before the adoption of official logos, various artists and cartoonists created their own interpretations of the Mizzou Tiger. One notable example is the tiger wearing a cap, which originated in the early 1960s and still appears on Mizzou clothing. Amadee Wohlschlaeger, the Weatherbird cartoon artist for the St. Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, also got in on the action, creating his own "Peanuts" version for the 1956 Homecoming edition of The Maneater.
The Leaping Tiger: A Standard Emerges
In the late 1970s, the university introduced its first standard tiger logo. This design featured a tiger leaping over the word "MIZZOU." It had a large head with a fluffy mane and its long canines bared. This logo became widely recognized and was commonly used to represent the university.
Read also: The CPB Logo: A Visual History
Truman the Tiger: The Mascot Gets a Name
In 1981, the two mascots were combined into one unisex tiger. The newly designed mascot went nameless for three years, until the cheerleaders ran a "Name the Tiger" contest in 1984, in order to raise money for a carrying case for the mascot uniform. Entrants could submit their proposed names for one dollar. The winner, of course, was Truman. Named after Missouri-born President Harry S. Truman, the mascot embodies the spirit and pride of the university. In 2021, Truman the Tiger got an updated design for his 35th birthday.
The "Block M" Logo: A Modern Update
By the 1990s, the university sought a more modern and consistent brand identity. In 1999, Busch Creative Services of St. Louis designed a new logo featuring a tiger head centered in the middle of an "M". After its debut, the old tiger logo was gradually phased out. Karen Schmidt, BFA ’85, left a mark on the University of Missouri. The longtime Mizzou employee, who retired from the Office of Continuing Education for Health Professionals in August, can’t turn her head in Columbia without being reminded of the early days of her career. Two gold capital letters - M stacked on top of U - united in a shield shape made by a black outline. The assignment was originally given to one of her colleagues, and his initial design was seen as a bit too “athletic,” Schmidt remembered. “So, he changed the design, and it was what we called very ‘corporate-looking,’” Schmidt said. “Chancellor Monroe was not happy with it. The designer wasn’t happy with it, either.
Schmidt was doing this work before the widespread adoption of computers for design. “They gave us a book and said, ‘This is what we carry; you can pick a font out of these,’” Schmidt said. “I was just going through the book and stacking things on top of one another. But it turned out to be perfect. The only catch? “People say that Chancellor Monroe asked for that specifically,” she said. “But he didn’t. It’s really just a coincidence. I walked into my office one day when I had all these MUs taped up on the wall. And my coworker had drawn the mule out, and I thought ‘Oh, my gosh!
Trademarking and Legal Considerations
MU Licensing Director Sonja Derboven said, “Basically, to trademark something you just have to use it to represent your company". All of the university’s logos are trademarked, but they are not all federally registered. A federal register lasts for 10 years; the university has an outside counsel that keeps all of the federally registered symbols up to date and helps with the paperwork. The legal name of the University of Missouri is “The Curators of the University of Missouri”, a public corporation as set forth in section 172.020 RSMo. This name refers to the board of curators, University of Missouri System, University of Missouri Health Care and all four campuses, which include the University of Missouri-Columbia, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Missouri University of Science and Technology, and the University of Missouri-St.
The University Seal
The seal of the university was made by a teacher in the College of Arts and Science, Dr. John S. Ankeney in 1903. The seal has been composed of two halves: an outer frame, and a central shield. On the external element, the designer has written the name of the university in Latin, the ‘Sigill’ word, and the year of the university foundation In Roman characters. The central shield is split in three areas: at the top, Ankeney featured an open book with the part of the university’s motto - ‘Salus Populi’, which means ‘The Welfare of the People’. The book is drawn over two triangles serving as a background. At the lower left corner, the crescent and a grizzly bear are shown. The crescent is supposed to symbolize the novelty of then new state of Missouri. The bear features the severe yet positive mood of citizens of the state. At the lower right corner, we can see the United States coat of arms, which represents the patriotism of Missouri people.
Read also: The History of College Cup
The color palettes of the seal and the logotype have common features, but they’re still different. In the sigil, we can see the black circle with beige and lines and inscriptions printed over it. The central shield consists of several parts: The first one is the beige book with the black motto. It’s located on the background of two triangles, one of which is colored blue, while another is red. The second part is the gray crescent located in on a blue sky. It’s located above a white bear, walking on a red ground.
Read also: The College of Wooster's Logo History
tags: #university #of #missouri #logo #history
