UW Huskies Logo

[bterreson]

This Article appeared in the 12/8 edition of the UWs newpaper "the daily"

Pick your Dawg

Logo wars divide students, alumni

By Melissa Santos

December 08, 2005

The results are in, and the trend is clear: the newest UW logos are out of style.

According to a survey conducted by the UW Alumni Association (UWAA), Husky fans prefer the 1995 UW logos to the latest versions.

More than 3,000 UW alumni and students voted for their all-time favorite Husky logo on the UWAA Web site during September. Nearly one-third of all respondents selected a Husky head shown in three-quarter view in front of a "W" as their top choice. The UW used that logo between 1995 and 2001.

The second most-beloved symbol was the alternate logo from that era, which featured the same style of Husky in front of the letters "UW." It garnered 22 percent of the total vote.

The current logos, created during 2001 when the UW signed a contract with Nike under former Athletic Director Barbara Hedges, were not as popular. Of the people surveyed, only about three percent liked the 2001 "W" logo best of the 15 choices, and only about eight percent cared for the 2001 Husky Dawg.

For Liz Heinrich, UWAA member and widow of Husky Hall of Fame quarterback Don Heinrich, the survey confirmed what she's been saying since the 2001 logos were first unveiled: fans hate the "Nike nimrod Dawg."

"It looks like it fell off a steroid jar," Heinrich said. "This dog is under anesthetics. Is it alive or dead?"

Heinrich has led a one-woman campaign against the 2001 logo, protesting to Athletic Director Todd Turner and entreating the help of coaches Lorenzo Romar and Tyrone Willingham.

Many others in the UWAA have also taken issue with the new Dawg's glassy stare -- especially older members, Heinrich said.

"It should have its mouth open, its eyes open, its tongue out," she said. "It looks sedated."

Heinrich said she likes the 1979 Washington logo best, where a fluffy Husky looks straight at viewers from atop a 'W.' Still, she said the 1995 Dawg as a great improvement over the 2001 creation.

"This Dawg looks like a weasel," she said.

Stephanie Guerrero, a 2003 UW graduate, said she never understood why they changed the logo in the first place.

"It looks more commercial," Guerrero said. "It's kind of a concession to Nike, and it's kind of sad."

Heinrich said she and other concerned members of the UWAA have written regularly to Turner to protest the logo change but received no response.

"I feel really crushed to watch this happen," she said. "It's breaking down the tradition of the Northwest and the school."

Not everyone feels the logo needs to change, however.

In the UWAA survey, older participants were less likely to favor the new Dawg than younger ones. While about 11 percent of graduates since 1991 approved of the 2001 Husky, only about six percent of graduates between 1971 and 1990 did. Among graduates before 1970, that number fell to less than four percent.

In contrast, nearly 20 percent of students who took part in the survey liked the new Dawg.

"It's like it got a makeover," said junior Rachel Werth, an employee at Husky Headquarters, a UW apparel shop on Northeast 45th Street. "It gives it a more modern look than the old Husky. I think it looks better."

The UW logo has gone through 14 different makeovers since 1920, when the school mascot changed officially from a Sun Dodger to a Husky.

Some students agree with Heinrich, and feel like this makeover was misguided one.

"It's kind of a wimpy dog," said junior Markus Thomi. "It ought to have bite. I hope they change it."

The athletic department has no plans to change the Husky logo in the near future, said Leslie Wurzberger, assistant athletic director of marketing and promotions.

"The survey got people talking about this again," Wurzberger said. "As far as I know, there's no discussion about changing it soon."

She noted when people get sentimentally attached to a symbol, changing it is rarely welcomed.

Heinrich warned that if the athletic department doesn't revert back to the old logo quickly, it will distance alumni who make substantial financial contributions to the UW.

"Look at the average age of season ticket holders," Heinrich said. "I think it's great that students like the Dawg ... but [the department] is losing a paying crowd."

[nwtrailtrekker]

i personally like the new logo, but im glad it aint on their helmets.

[DEAD!]

I see the "ball-in-glove" logo supporters have infilrated the University of Washington.....

[JQK]

I swear to Christ i'm gonna fu*king beat down the next person that disparages the Ball-In-Glove logo!!!!!!!

...I've always kinda liked he old Huskies logo.

The new one just went too...... ugly, for anyone to like it.

[BBTV]

I swear to Christ i'm gonna fu*king beat down the next person that disparages the Ball-In-Glove logo!!!!!!!

...I've always kinda liked he old Huskies logo.

The new one just went too...... ugly, for anyone to like it.

Ball-In-Glove is 70's garbage and can't hold a candle to their current logo.

I'm in Manayunk, exit 338 of the Schuylkill.

Bring it!

[TenaciousG]

It shouldn't be that hard. Use this as the primary:

And the modern husky as the alternate.

Now bring back the shoulder stripes and the nameplates on the football jerseys, and maybe I'll like the U a little more.

[JQK]

I swear to Christ i'm gonna fu*king beat down the next person that disparages the Ball-In-Glove logo!!!!!!!

...I've always kinda liked he old Huskies logo.

The new one just went too...... ugly, for anyone to like it.

Ball-In-Glove is 70's garbage and can't hold a candle to their current logo.

I'm in Manayunk, exit 338 of the Schuylkill.

Bring it!

That's not too far from Stroudsburg...

i'm on my way, BITCH!!!

[eastcoasthusky]

I dont' mind the updated logo, but to some people its the lone reason for football stinking up the place. Don't know how they rectify that with bball turning it around.

Besides, it's the UWAA, they don't do anything besides give discounts on like tires from Les Schwab

on another note Go Daily.

[Survival79]

Husky Mascot & Logo Vote

[Gothamite]

Ball-In-Glove is 70's garbage and can't hold a candle to their current logo.

70s garbage beats 90s garbage. The 1940s beats both of them any day of the week. Bring back the Beer Barrel Man!

As for the Huskies, I prefer the new one. It's cleaner than the old, a solid update. But I'm not a Huskies fan (former Duck here), so I'd defer to their students and alums.

[winghaz]

It just goes to show ya -- stay away from Nike.

[rtrich11]

I wonder what the students would say about the 2001 logo integrated somehow with a W. Don't quite picture it, but I suppose it could be possible.

The 1979 logos are just fluffy and dorky. The 1995 stuff is fine, but the dog covers too much of the W.

[TBGKon]

I wonder what the students would say about the 2001 logo integrated somehow with a W.

I was trying to think of a way to do this too

[winghaz]

I didn't realize Washington had gone through so many logos. Talk about a lack of consistency in its traditions.

[djqman69]

Wow, that 1959 logo is hillarious.

As for their current logos, I love them. I think the current husky is a perfect mordernization of the old husky logos.

[eastcoasthusky]

I didn't realize Washington had gone through so many logos. Talk about a lack of consistency in its traditions.

That's a lot of logos, but for the most part the colors have remained the same and football has been able to keep the W on the gold helmet, with the noted exception of the reverse purple helmet-gold W in the 90s.

I've always seen the W as the logo for the school, everything else was just stuff they put on t-shirts

[cajunaggie08]

I've always seen the W as the logo for the school, everything else was just stuff they put on t-shirts

I ran into Washington's volleyball team at a restaurant last night at A&M after they just had won their regional match and earned a berth into the volleyball final 4. They were wearing windbreakers and the only logo on them was the W logo

[illinirox1]

That 1971 logo looks like UConn's flipped horizontally.

[Avenger]

This solidifies my opinion that most people don't know plop about graphic design.

It also confirms to me that sometimes teams/athletic departments have to shove superior identities down fans' throats until the nestagia factor wears off, in the interest of good taste.

Good for UDub.

[leopard88]

This solidifies my opinion that most people don't know plop about graphic design.

It also confirms to me that sometimes teams/athletic departments have to shove superior identities down fans' throats until the nestagia factor wears off, in the interest of good taste.

Good for UDub.

I went back and forth as to whether to respond to your post, as the made it unclear just how serious you were. Finally, I felt compelled to start typing. If you were not serious, then all of the following can just be taken as a means to raise points that I believe are worth airing.

You are right that "most people don't know plop about graphic design." I will gladly place myself in that category, as I don't know the first thing about the process. I do, however, know what I like in sports logo and/or uniform design and know that any graphic designer working with a sports team or college athletic department would be foolish to ignore the tastes and/or wishes of the fan base, as the fans are as much the customer/client as the team or school in that instance.

In one of the threads about the Brewers' new Sunday home alternates, someone posted a lengthy summary of why he likes the ball-in-glove logo and uniforms, regardless of their relative merits (or lack thereof) from a design standpoint. The gist of the post was that the logo and uniforms provided a reminder of the Brewers' glory days of the late 70s and early 80s. That association, in turn, carried much more weight than design merits in determining whether or not the poster (and a great deal of other Brewers' fans, obviously) would welcome some return of the logo and uniforms.

While the Brewers are returning to the past, there are obviously many teams that recognize the weight of nostalgia and cling to the past because they know it pleases their fans. We all agree that the Browns look is antiquated, at best, but most of us also call it "classic" and know that any drastic change to it would cause a firestorm. On top of that, think of how many concepts are immediately panned because they are an "insult" (to think of a recent Steelers concept) or "the [insert team name here] would never do that/change their uniforms."

In short, different rules apply to existing teams than to new teams. If the Univ. of Washington were founded in 2001 and presented with the same set of options, very few people would balk at the the 2001 logo. However, the athletic department and/or administration is precluded from ignoring that history and simply electing to "shove superior identities down fans' throats until the nestagia [sic] factor wears off, in the interest of good taste," as would be the administration at many other institutions.

Again, if you were being serious, then consider this the reply that I felt compelled to post, because your comments bordered on elitist and condescending. Otherwise, it was just a general observation about why tradition should not be ignored when dealing with graphic design in the realm of sports. I will now step down from my soapbox and hand the conch to someone else (extra credit to anyone who picks up the literary reference in the last sentence -- ).