Every year during March Madness, we get introduced to a lot of small schools in the low seeds and play-in games. These schools usually have suuuuuper obtuse mascots with cool logos that don’t play it safe. Let’s appreciate the Giblet State A&Ms of the world.
Honorable Mention
UMBC
They’re the first 16 seed to knock off a 1 seed, so they get a nod here. Solid logo, nice color scheme, arched (not arced) typography, good mascot (Retrievers) and a snarky twitter handle. Keep it up.
South Dakota State
Look at this. LOOK. AT. THIS. The Jackrabbits is a fantastic mascot, the logo is excellently made (hard highlights and shadows aren’t overwhelming), and they have the guts to go with “Jacks” on occasion. This was the best logo in the tournament last year and I adore it so much that I’m watching them play in the NIT right now as my fiancee asks to turn it off (in her defense, the game is terrible). GO JACKS.
Gardner-Webb
I’m a big fan of the vintage varsity school spirit vibe. Collegiate sweater? Check. Abbreviated verb in front of the nickname (Runnin’ Bulldogs)? Check. Logo that’s actually a running bulldog? Check. Tom and Jerry being chased just out of frame? All signs point to yes. It would be a fun exercise to update and streamline this one like Murray State or St. Louis. Maybe someday.
Liberty
I’m not sure how the hawk works in exactly, but the shapes echoing flames is a nice touch that doesn’t stand out too much. The decision to cast a shadow where the L and the U intersect is a nice choice with a sharp outcome. I’d still take the counters out of the typography (like in this version), and maybe soften the highlights a bit.
Montana
Like “Jacks” (GO JACKS), I like nick-nicknames, so I dig “Griz”. Moreso, going way back to college script and the flag tail is a nice direction that leans into the old school collegiate varsity angle. Incidentally, if you want to give me a logo of an anthropomorphized animal in a varsity sweater with a barrel chest and call yourselves the Fightin’ anything, I’m in. Except Notre Dame.
Murray State
Racers is a cool nickname, and you don’t often see human faces rendered well in the typical sport design “hard shadow” aesthetic. This confident and well-crafted design utilizing an unorthodox straight-on angle get s a lot of credit from me. It could easily have been done from the side (except the old version was from straight on too). This is also a good example of updating and streamlining I mentioned with Gardner-Webb above. Pull for the 12-5 upset here, even though I dig Marquette’s look too.
New Mexico State
Another rare example of solid execution of human features. Wether it’s accompanied by a lasso or slightly phallic guns, nice execution here. Though the lasso version has some better shading.
Northern Kentucky
Sweet mother of mercy look at the confidence of those details. What a great nickname, Norse. Just Norse. Killer. And the logo is… oh wait no, they nerfed it. Cowards.
St. Louis
St. Louis gets some attention every year for its nickname, the Billikens. The current logo is again a great example of updating and streamlining of a vintage illustration. Good to see something so original get modernized and not lose its charm. Look at the subtle way light and shadow are played with in the nose, upper lip, and chin. Fantastic.
UC Irvine
Love the overlaid initials angle as a change of pace. Well-balanced without getting confusing, it’s a solid modern spin on a classic logo archetype, though it would be nice to have a little interlocking without going overboard. Also, they’re the Anteaters. Tough to beat that. Unless you’re the Jackrabbits.
GO JACKS! (they lost)
Enjoy the games, friends.