Marquette University, which was established in 1881, is a private Jesuit research university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The primary Marquette logo was last updated in 1995 (as of 2020).
The logo is rather heavy in detail and works best in larger sizes. The logo showcases a stylized depiction of the Marquette Hall tower. It is a Gothic bell tower that houses the university carillon. Every week, it plays music that can be heard in different corners of the campus. On the emblem, the tower is dark yellow. It is housed inside a dark blue box.
The lettering “Marquette University” can be seen below. It is also dark blue and features a serif type with classic proportions. There are several unique details, though, including the double “T” linked into a single glyph and the unusual top of the “A,” to name just a few.
Below, there is also the tagline “Be the Difference” separated by the wordmark by a horizontal bar. It is set in a different type, a heavy sans serif. The full stop after the text emphasizes its importance.
According to the university, the tagline on the Marquette logo conveys its aim to help students become the sort of leaders who makes meaningful contributions to their community, those “who will Be The Difference in their communities.”
The roundel is broken down into two fields separated from each other by a diagonal bar. The two semi-circles are encircled by a blue ring housing the name of the institution and the year when it was established, 1881.
The top semi-circle showcases the tagline Numen Flumenque. It is translated from Latin as “God and the River” (referring to the Mississippi river).
Also, there is the coat of arms of the Loyola family. It reminds of the fact that the Society of Jesus was established by St. Ignatius of Loyola. Here, there are two wolves used as a symbol of the House of Loyola. The symbol means that even the wolves discovered something in the kettle on which to feast.
To the right, there are red and gold diagonal stripes representing the seven heroes from the House of Onaz, the maternal side of the family of St. Ignatius’. They were known as brave fighters.
The picture in the other semi-circle was inspired by the painting by Wilhelm Lamprecht. The painting featured Father Jacques Marquette (Père Marquette, 1637 – 1675), the French-Canadian Jesuit missionary and explorer, after whom the university was called. One of the figures next to him is the Miami guide. He represents all guides who helped Père Marquette find his way during his time in the western Great Lakes and the Mississippi River system. The female near them is the Virgin Mary. In the painting, the Illini explains the way to Father Marquette.
Of course, it was impossible to squeeze the whole painting into the university seal. So, the designers took only Père Marquette and one of the guides.
The monogram combines the letters “M” and “U” in yellow with dark blue trim. The interlocking glyphs symbolize teamwork, which, according to the university, is “a hallmark of Marquette athletics.”
The glyphs have a traditional shape, with pronounced serifs. This is supposed to remind the university’s long history in athletics. The golden color with white highlights symbolizes “a shining future,” as the university’s website explains.
The primary logo combines a classic serif type (for the name of the university) with a bold modern sans (for the tagline).
The palette of the Marquette logo combines dark blue (Pantone 281, Hex #003366) and yellow (Pantone 123, Hex #FFCC00).
MARQUETTE BLUE
PANTONE: PMS 281
HEX COLOR: #003366;
RGB: (0,51,102)
CMYK: (100,72,0,32)
MARQUETTE GOLD
PANTONE: 123
HEX COLOR: #FFCC00;
RGB: (205,204,0)
CMYK: (0,24,100,0)