ST. GEORGE — While seemingly simple, it turns out that the new logos for the renamed Utah Tech University can unleash an “Easter egg” hunt.
Corporate, sports and collegiate logos are known to be full of hidden messages or “Easter eggs” such as the arrow inside the FedEx logo, the “31” in the Baskin Robbins logo or the “M” on the forehead of the horse in the logo for the Dallas Mavericks.
The new logos were revealed last month as part of the campus’ name change from Dixie State to Utah Tech that becomes official on July 1.
According to Jyl Hall, a spokesperson with the university, the new logo was designed by Dallas-based Torch Creative, which actually consists of two designers – Michael Thurman and Brad Bishop.
The two have created several other logos that might be familiar to both those in academia and sports fans including the logo for the NHL’s Stanley Cup and college football’s Cotton Bowl as well as logos for BYU and the University of Utah.
Thurman declined comment when reached by St. George News, deferring to the designers’ obligation to the university as well as letting the logo speak for itself.
And speak it does, including some imagery that has multiple meanings. Those hidden meanings may not be obvious unless one takes a close look.
It starts with the hooked angles on the upper left of the U, the E and the two H’s. Look close enough and the number one comes into view. This is one of the hidden Easter eggs that has a double meaning, according to the university. The “1” is meant to denote both the school’s “responsibility to lead” as well as its athletic program’s move to the top-tier NCAA Division 1 in 2020.
Inside the “U” is something even less apparent to an untrained eye. But color the empty space in and the outline of the state of Utah is revealed.
For fans of the movie “This is Spinal Tap,” the connection between the U and the T might seem like a shrunken piece of Stonehenge. But it actually equals 3.14, or the symbol for pi to honor the polytechnic aspect of the school’s name change.
The other double meaning of the new logo can be found in the separation of two colors between red on the bottom and blue on the top, separated by a straight white line.
The school says the red symbolizes the red rocks and the blue sky of Southern Utah. It also signifies a separation between the warmer Southern Utah and chillier Northern Utah.
The line between the two typographies and climates is supposed to represent the “many horizons” of the Southern Utah landscape.
The university is in the process of changing signage and letterheads throughout the campus and are expected to all be in place when classes resume in late August.
Update June 2, 1 p.m. Brad Bishop name corrected.
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