:: History Site Index
:: Historical Overview
:: Timeline of Events
:: Hall of Presidents

:: USF Site & Name
:: John Allen Legacy
:: 40 Years of Memories
:: Named Buildings & Sites
:: Medical School History
:: Medicine's 1st 25 years
:: Marshall Center History
:: Early Women's Athletics
:: Student Trends
:: Snow at USF!

:: 1st Student
:: 1st Professor
:: 1st Basketball Team
:: 1st Football Team
:: 1st Marching Band
:: 1st Years of The Oracle
:: 1st Trustees

:: USF Sarasota/Manatee
:: USF St Petersburg
:: USF Lakeland

:: Traditions Overview
:: Alma Mater
:: Academic Mace
:: USF Seal & Symbols

:: Rocky the Bull
:: Herd of Thunder

:: Homecoming
:: Student Gov. Ceremony
:: Bull Market
:: Movies On The Lawn
:: "Go Bulls" Hand Symbol
:: Retired Athletic Jerseys

USF's Seal and Symbols

:: The Seal :: The Logo :: Rocky the Bull

The Seal: In 1958, Dr. John Allen, the first president of the University of South Florida, commissioned Henry (Hank) Gardner to design and create the official seal for the University. At the time Gardner was vice president of the Industrial Supply Corporation. Gardner completed the project in six weeks.

Gardner said President Allen wanted a symbol that would depict education on a global level. University founders knew that humankind's next great frontier was outer space. But they also realized that the University would dwell in, and serve the pressing needs of, inner space. Thus, the globalization of the University.

Each element of the seal has special meaning. The sun gives life to all living things. The lamp symbolizes learning. The globe represents the universal expansiveness of educational opportunity and challenge. President Allen's own cornerstone for the University was--and is --Truth and Wisdom.

Mrs. Grace Allen, wife of the late founding president, said green and gold were selected school colors because they were "workable" and no other university in the State of Florida had adopted them as official colors.

The seal has been in usage from the first catalog in 1959 to today. For many years it was the most commonly used symbol on business cards and stationary. Since 1988 the seal has been reserved for use on diplomas, academic certificates and other legal documents.

The New USF Logo: USF established a new visual identity in May 2003 with the launch of a fresh new logo and brand identity.

A study of business and community leaders showed that 82 percent believe USF has made significant progress toward becoming a world class university and internal and external groups said USF was ready to make a bold statement about what it aspires to be.

A team of USF graphics designers developed 20 different logo ideas, and more than 300 faculty, staff and students participated to offer input and feedback. After seeing designs in various uses- from advertisements to business cards to the web site and annual reports- 84 percent of participants said the new monogram design was a “clear winner.”

The logo has a strong and sophisticated look and feel and portrays the university’s aspirations toward becoming a nationally prominent Research I University. The new green and gold color scheme uses a slightly darker green and shifts from the yellow to a more golden hue. This classic design style is bold and crisp, and more versatile for a variety of needs and uses. David Fink, along with colleagues from USF’s University Relations graphic design team, developed the logo design.

To download the USF logo, or to review usage guidelines, go here.

The USF Logo: In the 1970s several other designs in conjunction with or instead of the seal appeared on catalogs but their usage was limited. By the early 1980's a thin, script-type "USF" was used for recruiting and information brochures. USF alumnus Pat Hill was instrumental in the design of the 1984 USF outline logo designed for Athletics use and also in the design and writing of the USF Graphic Standards Manual in 1988. That manual put forth a similar logo which has been used University-wide since.

The "USF" logo was designed for general usage on USF correspondence and publications. Hill said the intent of the 1984 and 1988 designs of the "USF" acronym, in large type with "University of South Florida" spelled out below, was meant to lessen public confusion with Florida Southern College and the University of San Fransisco. In recent years "USF" has been used along with the spelling out of the "University of South Florida" stacked in two lines above or alongside "USF."

Rocky the Bull: In 1965-66 Ray Cooper, then a student assistant in the graphics department, designed a Brahman Bull for the Bookstore to sell as a toy. But not until the early 1970's were Bull cartoon renditions drawn for athletics publicist John Renneker to use with newsletters.

A fighting bull figure standing on two legs was trademarked in 1974 and was in use for commercial purposes through the early 1980's when the teams were still known as the Golden Brahmans. In 1984, Athletics trademarked the horned head of a bull and the hump of the bull's back emerging from correspondence and marketing. The diamond shape apparently is a simply a design element to contain the bull-head. The teams have known as the Bulls since the mid-1980s. The bull-head was re-designed in the mid 1990's to reflect a more aggressive look.

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