Temple Owls Logo

Temple Owls Logo PNG

The choice of the main character for the athletic logo of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, seems pretty natural, taking into consideration the “Owls” nickname. And yet, for much of its history, the Temple Owls logo has been mostly typographic and did not feature this bird.

Meaning and history

Temple Owls originated from the vision of Russell Conwell in 1884. Conwell’s pioneering idea was to establish an educational institution accessible to working individuals in Philadelphia, starting as a modest night school. This initiative blossomed into a full-fledged university, now known as Temple University. Its journey is marked by notable milestones, such as evolving into a prominent research hub and fostering inclusivity in higher education. The university has carved out a niche in diverse academic disciplines, while also placing a strong emphasis on community engagement and global outreach. Today, Temple University, symbolized by the Temple Owls, stands tall as an urban educational beacon, continuously expanding its academic horizons and reinforcing its historical ethos of making education accessible to a broad spectrum of society.

What is Temple Owls?
Temple Owls symbolize the athletic spirit of Temple University, encompassing various sports teams that represent the institution in collegiate competitions. These teams are a testament to the university’s dual commitment to academic and athletic prowess, embodying the spirit of competition, teamwork, and excellence.

1964 – 1972

If we had gone back to the period from 1960 to 1971, we would have seen that back then the logo showcased a white “T” with a gloomy owl sitting on its horizontal bar.

1972 – 1983

This logo showcased a white image of an own with burgundy edges and lines. It had a cartoonish, illustrated style, which made it look clumsy, even if mean.

1983 – 1996

In 1983, the school adopted a completely different emblem. Its centerpiece was a large stylized “T” made up of smaller thin “T’s.” The glyph was placed inside a maroon rectangle, below which the lettering “Temple University” in smaller letters could be seen.

1996 – 2014

In 1996, the emblem went through a complete overhaul. It now featured an owl in flight paired with the lettering “Temple Owls.” More recently, the school has again switched to the “T” logo, which is now presented in a more minimalist fashion.

As part of a single athletic program, each of the 19 teams comprising it shares the same brand identity and, therefore, has the same set of emblems. So, the primary athletic emblem described above also serves as the Temple Owls basketball logo, football logo, baseball logo, etc.

2014 – 2017

The color palette was brightened in 2014, which mainly reflected on the owl’s red plumage.

2017 – 2020

There was only the upper part of the head left from the owl. In the logo, it was placed behind the name wordmark, which also stayed very similar design-wise. The letters in the ‘Owls’ part became burgundy now.

2020 – Today

The 2020-adopted emblem is the same letter ‘T’ they used in the 80-90s, but with a darker red used in the square.

Temple Owls Colors

CHERRY RED
PANTONE: PMS 201 C
HEX COLOR: #9D2235;
RGB: (157, 34, 53)
CMYK: (0, 100, 63, 29)

YELLOW
PANTONE: PMS 116 C
HEX COLOR: #FFCD00;
RGB: (255, 205, 0)
CMYK: (0, 22, 98, 2)

METALLIC SILVER
PANTONE: PMS 877 C
HEX COLOR: #8A8D8F;
RGB: (138, 141, 143)
CMYK: (23, 16, 17, 0)

SILVER
PANTONE: PMS 428 C
HEX COLOR: #C1C6C8;
RGB: (193, 198, 200)
CMYK: (12, 6, 5, 12)

BLACK
PANTONE: PMS BLACK 6 C
HEX COLOR: #000000
RGB: (0,0,0)
CMYK: (0,0,0,100)

WHITE
HEX COLOR: #FFFFFF
RGB: (255,255,255)
CMYK: (0,0,0,0)