Iowa State Logo PNG
In addition to the official University Seal, Iowa State has a double-lined wordmark and athletic emblems based on the cardinal bird mascot called Cy.
Meaning and history
Founded in 1858, Iowa State University of Science and Technology is the largest university in the state of Iowa. It includes eight colleges offering more than a hundred bachelor’s degree programs, 112 master’s degree programs, and 83 at the Ph.D. level.
1858 – 1898
1898 – 1959
1959 – Today
The Seal symbol
The seal, which has a circle shape, combines white and pink letters and pictorial elements with the background in the signature shade of red, cardinal. In the center, there’s the lettering “Science with practice” in a serif all-cap typeface. The text is surrounded by the leaves of a laurel wreath. Round the wreath, a combination of five thin rings can be seen.
Eventually, on the outer part of the emblem, you can see the text “Iowa State University” and “Of Science and Technology.” The two parts of the lettering are separated from each other by two five-pointed stars. The glyphs are larger and belong to a different font family than those used for the motto in the center of the emblem.
The seal is typically used only on official documents signed by the University President, although the brand guidelines point out that it can appear on some consumer products “on a case-by-case basis.”
Athletic emblem
While the University’s athletic teams are called the Cyclones, the athletic logo features a cardinal bird. It’s the mascot, cardinal Cy. Although the teams have been known as the Cyclones since 1895, the cardinal mascot was adopted only in 1954.
In addition to the bird emblem, there’s also an athletic wordmark featuring the arched lettering “Iowa State Cyclones.”
Font of the wordmark
The University’s wordmark sports a classic and highly legible serif type. The serifs are thin and elegant. The wordmark consists of the two lines: “Iowa State University” on the top in large letters and “Of Science and Technology” in smaller letters below. Left alignment or center alignment can be used for the second line.
Colors
According to the information provided on the website of the Iowa State University Office of University Marketing, the primary palette includes five colors. Two of them, cardinal (Pantone 186 C) and gold (Pantone 142 C) are the school’s signature colors. The other three colors are greenish shades of grey and black, including Pantone 451 C, Pantone 454 C, and Pantone 449 C.
