The University of Pennsylvania logo is one of the most recognized marks in American higher education. It combines a heraldic shield with a refined wordmark, tying together centuries of academic tradition into a single visual package.
Penn traces its founding to 1740, counts Benjamin Franklin as its founder, and is one of nine colonial colleges and a member of the Ivy League. The current logo, a “Penn” wordmark beside the shield, dates to 2002, and the shield itself was slightly revised in 2020. The arms behind the shield were approved in 1932 and adopted in 1933, and the university’s corporate seal goes back to 1756.
Penn’s branding sits at an interesting crossroads. It has to feel old enough to communicate nearly 300 years of history, but current enough to work on a phone screen. That tension shows up in every part of the design.
What Is the University of Pennsylvania Logo?
The University of Pennsylvania logo is a combination mark: the red-and-blue Penn shield beside “Penn” in Perpetua, with “University of Pennsylvania” in ITC Stone Serif below. Deutsch Advertising developed the shield-plus-wordmark logo in 2002, and the university released a revised shield and style guide in January 2020.
| University of Pennsylvania logo at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Shield with a red chief holding a dolphin between two open books, above a blue chevron bearing three white circles |
| Designer/agency | Deutsch Advertising (2002 logo); the 1932 arms were recommended by a trustees’ committee and no individual is credited; the 2020 shield revision is not credited |
| Current version since | 2002 (shield plus “Penn” wordmark); shield revised January 2020 |
| Colors (hex) | Penn Red #990000, Penn Blue #011F5B |
| Typeface | Perpetua for “Penn,” ITC Stone Serif and Stone Serif Italic for “University of Pennsylvania” (loose free stand-ins: Cormorant, Source Serif) |
| Previous major version | All-caps “PENN” wordmark with no shield (before 2002) |
How Has the University of Pennsylvania Logo Evolved Over Time?
Penn’s visual identity stretches back to the 1750s, when the Trustees asked Provost William Smith to prepare a public seal. Since then, the university has moved through multiple seals, a coat of arms, and finally the modern combination logo.
The First Corporate Seal (1756-1782)
A corporate seal was first proposed at a Trustees meeting on November 17, 1753, with Benjamin Franklin presiding. On April 13, 1756, the Trustees asked William Smith to prepare a public seal with a device and motto. Smith designed it, and it was first cut by James Turner. It embossed the diplomas of the first graduating class in 1757.
The design shows a pyramid of seven books on a slanted desk, each labeled with a subject, including Theolog, Astronom and Grammatica. The abbreviated motto reads “Sine Moribus Vanae.” It was a functional mark with no shield and no color scheme.
The Orrery Seal (1782-1847)
After Pennsylvania’s revolutionary government reorganized the college in 1779, a new seal was drawn in 1782. Instead of books it depicts the orrery, a planetary model built by David Rittenhouse, within a border carrying the inscription “Sigillum Universitatis Pennsylvaniensis.” It served as the corporate seal from 1782 to 1797 and again from 1823 to 1847.
The Book Seal Returns (1847-1899)
The pile of books came back in 1847, with the motto above it, and stayed in use until 1899. This version was busy, with several rings of lettering and wavy lines packed into a small circle, so it did not reduce well to small sizes.
The 1899 Motto Revision
In the late 1890s a joke translation of “Sine Moribus Vanae” as “loose women without morals” embarrassed the Trustees. The seal was redesigned in 1899 with the word “Literae” added, so that it read “Literae sine Moribus vanae,” Letters without Morals are Useless. The seal went back to its original form in 1932-1933, when “Leges” replaced “Literae.”
The Coat of Arms (1932-Present)
In 1932, a Committee on University Seal and a Coat of Arms recommended the design, and the Trustees approved it that year and adopted it in 1933. The arms are decorative rather than legal. They combine the three plates of the Penn family arms with the dolphin from Benjamin Franklin’s shield. Open books stand for learning, and the motto “Leges sine Moribus vanae” runs on a scroll beneath. In heraldic terms: a chevron azure charged with three plates, below a red chief holding a dolphin between two open books.
The “Penn” Wordmark Logo (2002-Present)
The old logo was the single word “PENN” in bold capitals. In August 2002 the university introduced a new one that swapped it for a less obtrusive “Penn” and added the shield. The Daily Pennsylvanian reported that Deutsch Advertising developed it after two finalists split a survey of trustees, alumni and students evenly. The old logo was still being phased out in 2005.
In January 2020, the university released a new style guide, a revised shield, and updated school logos. The shield changes were minor and hard to notice. Individual schools, such as Penn Carey Law and Wharton, use the shield with their own names.
What Do the Design Elements of the University of Pennsylvania Logo Mean?
Every piece of the Penn shield connects to a historical source. The dolphin comes from Benjamin Franklin’s family shield, the three plates come from the Penn family arms, and the open books represent learning. The psychology of shapes in the arms is simple: a strong chevron anchors the lower half and the chief sits on top like a banner.
What Does the Shield Symbolize?
The shield is a heraldic device, with a red “chief” (the upper band) over a field divided by a chevron. The chief displays a dolphin between two open books. The lower field is white, with a blue chevron bearing three white circles.
The emphasis falls on the chevron, which creates a strong focal point. The university describes the arms as commemorating two founding influences, Franklin and the Penn family, and does not explain the chevron itself.
What Is the Dolphin on the Penn Shield?
The dolphin is the detail most people remember, and it looks nothing like a real dolphin. Heraldic dolphins have long been drawn as a curved, finned, fish-like creature, and the Penn one follows that tradition. It is taken from Franklin’s family shield, which is why people searching for the “Ivy League dolphin crest” end up at Penn.
Why Did the University of Pennsylvania Choose These Specific Colors?
Red and blue were adopted for athletics in 1876 and for academic hoods in 1895, according to the University Archives. When the university flag was designed in 1910, the Trustees specified that the colors match the standards used in United States government flags. The archives do not describe how the original pair was chosen.
What Are the University of Pennsylvania Logo Colors?
- Penn Red: Hex #990000, RGB (153, 0, 0), CMYK (24, 100, 100, 25), Pantone 201. A deep crimson that reads as authority rather than urgency. In color psychology, red conveys energy and passion, and at this dark saturation it feels traditional.
- Penn Blue: Hex #011F5B, RGB (1, 31, 91), CMYK (100, 93, 32, 32), Pantone 288. A very dark navy that communicates trust and stability.
These are the values on Penn’s brand standards site, which also notes that web and print colors are not interchangeable and that other colors than the official two are strongly discouraged. The color palette is simply red, blue and white.
What Typography Style Is Used in the University of Pennsylvania Logo?
The logo uses two serif fonts. According to Penn’s brand standards, “Penn” is set in Perpetua, designed by Eric Gill in the 1920s, and “University of Pennsylvania” is set in ITC Stone Serif, with “of” in ITC Stone Serif Italic. Sumner Stone designed Stone Serif in the late 1980s.
Both are copyrighted typefaces that must be licensed, which is covered under font licensing. The pairing works because Perpetua gives “Penn” a distinctive personality, while the Stone Serif logotype stays quieter. It is a good example of pairing fonts that are related but not identical, and it keeps the typography of the logo distinct from everyday text.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the University of Pennsylvania Logo?
The three circles are “plates” in heraldry, which are silver discs. They come from the Penn family arms. The motto “Leges sine Moribus vanae,” “Laws without morals are useless,” was selected by William Smith from a line by Horace, according to the University Archives, and it was also meant for his ideal College of Mirania.
How Does the University of Pennsylvania Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
Penn sits among Ivy League schools that all face the same branding problem: how to look distinguished without looking identical. Most rely on shields, crests, or seals. The differences come down to color, typography, and which symbols get highlighted.
Compared to the Harvard logo, Penn’s mark is more complex. Harvard uses a simple shield with “Veritas” across three books. Penn’s shield has more going on, with the dolphin, books, chevron, and circles all packed into one frame.
The Princeton University logo also features a shield, but Princeton leans on orange and black. Columbia University’s logo uses a crown as its primary symbol. Yale’s seal carries Hebrew text, which sets it apart from the Latin-motto crowd.
The Stanford University logo breaks from the pack with a tree on its seal and a cardinal-red palette. Penn’s closest visual cousin might be the Duke University logo, which also pairs a heraldic shield with a serif wordmark.
Among university logos broadly, Penn’s approach is traditional but not generic. The Franklin dolphin gives it something no other school can claim.
What Cultural Impact Has the University of Pennsylvania Logo Had?
Penn’s logo operates differently than a corporate brand. It does not need to sell products. It needs to represent a community of students, alumni, faculty and researchers stretching back to the 1700s.
The shield, and especially the Franklin dolphin, has become a mark of institutional identity well beyond campus. You see it on Penn Medicine buildings, on school logos such as Penn Carey Law, and on athletic gear for the Quakers.
The storytelling embedded in this logo is unusually specific. Most university emblems reference abstract ideals. Penn’s references two real families through their coats of arms.
How Does the University of Pennsylvania Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The logo is the anchor of a larger system that includes the shield, the seal, school logos (Wharton, Penn Engineering, Penn Carey Law), and athletic marks.
Each school uses the Penn shield in its own logo, which keeps a connection to the central brand. The January 2020 release updated those school logos to fit better with the central identity and expanded the usage rules. Sub-brands follow the university’s brand guidelines and a brand style guide.
The whole system relies on visual hierarchy. The Penn shield sits at the top, school-level marks come next, and everything traces back to the same red and blue shield.
How Should the University of Pennsylvania Logo Be Used?
This is general advice, not the university’s own rules. The shield, the Penn mark and the seal are protected marks, and the university decides who may use them. Penn’s brand standards say the logo can be used in full color, black and white or Penn Blue, and that other colors are strongly discouraged, so the safest course is to use the official artwork from the university’s branding site. Use vector graphics where possible, avoid stretching it, and keep it large enough that the dolphin and books stay readable at small pixel sizes. A tiny version loses the detail, and a low-DPI or tiny pixel version of it makes the dolphin unreadable. Editorial use in an article is different from putting the logo on merchandise, which needs permission.
FAQ on the University of Pennsylvania Logo
What does the University of Pennsylvania logo look like?
The Penn logo is a combination mark. It pairs a heraldic shield with the “Penn” wordmark in Perpetua and “University of Pennsylvania” in ITC Stone Serif below it.
The shield contains a dolphin, two open books, a blue chevron, and three white circles. Penn Red and Penn Blue dominate the color scheme.
What do the symbols on the UPenn shield mean?
The dolphin comes from Benjamin Franklin’s family shield, and the three plates (white circles) come from the Penn family arms. The open books stand for learning. The university does not explain the chevron.
What is the dolphin on the Penn crest?
It is a heraldic dolphin taken from Benjamin Franklin’s family shield. Heraldic dolphins are drawn as curved, finned, fish-like creatures, which is why it looks nothing like a real dolphin.
What are the official Penn colors and hex codes?
Penn Red is #990000 (Pantone 201) and Penn Blue is #011F5B (Pantone 288), according to Penn’s brand standards. Red and blue were adopted for athletics in 1876 and for academic hoods in 1895.
What font is used in the University of Pennsylvania logo?
“Penn” is set in Perpetua, designed by Eric Gill. “University of Pennsylvania” is set in ITC Stone Serif by Sumner Stone, with “of” in ITC Stone Serif Italic. Both are licensed typefaces.
When was the current Penn logo introduced?
The shield-plus-“Penn” logo was introduced in 2002 and developed by Deutsch Advertising. The university released a revised shield and a new style guide in January 2020.
What did the old Penn logo look like?
Before 2002, the logo was simply the word “PENN” in bold capitals with no shield. Older seals showed a pile of seven books on a desk (1756), an orrery (1782) and a revised book seal with the word “Literae” (1899).
What is the difference between the Penn seal and the Penn shield?
The seal is the round corporate emblem showing seven stacked books on a slanted desk, first used in 1756 and returned to nearly its original form in 1933. The shield is the red-and-blue coat of arms approved in 1932 and adopted in 1933, and it is the part used in the logo.
What does the Penn motto mean?
“Leges sine Moribus vanae” is usually translated as “Laws without morals are useless.” William Smith selected it from a line by Horace. The seal first carried the abbreviated “Sine Moribus Vanae.”
How does the Penn logo compare to other Ivy League logos?
Penn’s shield is busier than Harvard’s minimal “Veritas” design and shares a heraldic approach with Duke’s. The Franklin dolphin is what sets it apart.
Conclusion
The University of Pennsylvania logo carries nearly three centuries of institutional history in a single mark. From the 1756 seal to the 2002 shield-and-wordmark logo and its 2020 touch-up, the connection to Benjamin Franklin and the Penn family stays intact.
That Franklin dolphin and the Penn family plates do the heavy lifting. They ground this Ivy League emblem in something specific, not just generic academic tradition.
The red and blue palette, the Perpetua wordmark, and a consistent brand style guide keep Penn’s identity consistent across campus, athletics, and digital platforms.
Few collegiate logos manage to be both this historically rich and this functional at small sizes. Penn’s does.
Sources
- University of Pennsylvania University Archives, Penn’s Seal and Coat of Arms – https://archives.upenn.edu/?p=14063
- University of Pennsylvania Almanac, Inaugural symbols (seal and arms) – https://almanac.upenn.edu/archive/volumes/v51/n08/inaug_symbols.html
- University of Pennsylvania Branding, Elements of the Penn logo – https://branding.web-resources.upenn.edu/logos-and-branding/elements-penn-logo
- Penn Today, Penn unveils new school logos, revised shield (January 14, 2020) – https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-unveils-new-school-logos-revised-shield
- The Daily Pennsylvanian, U. to take on a new look this fall (August 1, 2002) – https://www.thedp.com/article/2002/08/u-to-take-on-a-new-look-this-fall
- The Daily Pennsylvanian, Old Penn logo finally booted from shelves (January 12, 2005) – https://www.thedp.com/article/2005/01/old_penn_logo_finally_booted_from_shelves
- Wikipedia, Coat of arms of the University of Pennsylvania – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_the_University_of_Pennsylvania
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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