BYU’s Logo Legacy: The “Y” Through the Decades

How many logos can one university have? 

It’s a good question, and something that would be difficult for even the most diehard BYU fan to answer — because even just throughout the course of one current BYU student’s lifetime, we’ve seen a pretty wide range of BYU logos on everything from collegiate apparel to official advertisements and car decals. 

Of course, you’d be able to spot a BYU logo if you saw one — throughout the school’s history, every emerging school logo has laddered up into BYU’s distinct visual identity, always characterized by blue and white, plus the “Y.” And of all these logos, each has served a specific purpose in the context of that iconic visual identity, with some reserved exclusively for athletic purposes and others reserved for academics. 

The Power of a Logo 

It’s not just graphic designers or business moguls who understand the importance of a logo. All of us, whether or not we realize it, are affected by the power of logos every single day. Our world is filled with these visual symbols. Drive down most main streets in America and you’ll see 10 logos within two minutes. Turn on the TV and you’ll see more. Open your fridge or your pantry, and this afternoon’s snack quickly becomes a logo party. 

On the most basic level, a logo serves as a visual representation of a brand, company or organization. But on a deeper level, a good logo is an encapsulation of not only a brand’s identity, but of its values and essence. It serves as a distinctive symbol that combines typography, imagery, and color to create something that is instantly recognizable. The best logos can even evoke emotion in their audience, bringing us back to a specific time and place, a set of memories, or a distinctive feeling. 

If you don’t tear up when you see McDonald’s golden arches or Target’s bullseye, that’s normal. Some logos “evoke emotion” in more nuanced ways than to actually make you feel emotional, nostalgic, or tied to something greater than yourself. The logo on your milk carton is less likely to promote a sense of loyalty than the logo of your favorite sports team, but both can be powerful — just in different ways. 

When a fan sees the logo of their alma mater, they’re reminded of the broader community they’re proud to belong to. Similar to a school’s fight song, a university’s logo fosters a sense of unity that spans generations of fans and alumni. I think we can safely ask the question: Without a logo, is a university even a university at all?  

BYU’s First Logos 

We can trace BYU’s very first logo back to the late 1800s, not long after the university was founded in 1875. The original “logo” was the university’s official seal. This early emblem — versions of which are still in use today — featured the full name of the university in classic lettering with an understated design. Its seal served not only as the school’s earliest piece of visual branding, but as a representation of BYU’s commitment to education within the framework of the LDS faith. 

As the 20th century unfolded, BYU grew rapidly in both size and influence. During the 1940s and 1950s, the university began to adopt more formalized logos for a more recognizable brand. At the same time, BYU’s sports culture was also beginning to flourish. 

The first major evolution in BYU’s logo came with the formal adoption of the “Cougar” mascot. Cougars are one of Utah’s biggest predators — you might run into one while hiking on local trails (though, we hope not). By the 1950s, the cougar was regularly paired with BYU’s name in athletic contexts. 

The original cougar logo was a stylized and somewhat simplistic representation of the animal, designed to evoke strength and agility — qualities that the university wanted to associate with its athletes and student body. The inclusion of the cougar in BYU's logos, however, was not just limited to sports; it helped shape a broader institutional identity that symbolized both the rugged nature of the institution and its connection to the western frontier.

This period of BYU’s history marked a transition from the earlier, more academic-based logos to a more dynamic visual identity that embraced the competitive and spirited aspects of BYU's culture.

From the 1970s to Now 

The 1970s and 1980s saw a period of professionalization in university branding across the country, and BYU was no exception. BYU began refining its visual identity with the introduction of more modern logos and a unified design strategy.

During this time, the cougar evolved into a more sophisticated and aggressive symbol, reflecting the university’s growing prominence in sports and academics. The iconic "Y" logo, which is now synonymous with BYU, was introduced in the mid-20th century but became more widely recognized and used during the 1970s and 1980s.

Today, when many BYU fans think of iconic BYU logos, their mind likely goes to the royal blue uniform of BYU’s football team when they won the NCAA National Championship in 1984. This period of BYU’s athletic history was hugely influential in the trajectory of the university’s branding.

By the 1990s, BYU already had many logos in its arsenal — and by the 2000s, even more. But nostalgia for the 1980s era has had an outsize influence on BYU’s branding, even to this day. 

In 2025, it’s hard to keep track of exactly how many BYU logos exist. And which logo is the official logo? Well, it depends not only on the year, but also on the context. 

Every time a football or basketball jersey is updated with a new logo or new university branding (or maybe, even updated with a return to a previous logo) fans notice, and by this point in BYU’s history, many Cougar fans not only have their favorites, but can choose their favorite logo and visual era of BYU to rep in public. 

One BYU Logo to Rule Them All 

There is one BYU logo that feels more immutable than the rest, and that’s the logo that overlooks BYU campus in Provo, Utah from the side of Y Mountain. 

It’s not rare for a university to have a hillside letter, but what is rare is to have that letter placed not on a hillside, but on the side of an 8,000 foot peak. 

No matter where you are in Provo, you can look to the east and see this iconic white “Y” — to visitors and residents alike, it serves as an ever present reminder that they are in Cougar territory. As BYU’s visual identity evolves over time, this physical “Y” (built in 1906) will remain unchanged, arguably the one BYU logo to rule them all.