This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
People in Utah readily recognize the signature block U that represents the University of Utah.
But outside the state? The letter might as well stand for “unrecognizable.”
The University of Utah says the symbol is often confused nationally with the University of Miami — which is also known as the “U”— or even the hygiene brand Unilever that uses a block U.
“The standalone U runs into competition from other institutions,” the Utah school says.
To move away from that unclear tangle, the University of Utah announced this week that it’s shifting to a new logo to “differentiate and distinguish ourselves.”
The flagship Utah university will now primarily use a logo featuring two red interlocking U’s, with the school’s name spelled out below.
It’s not the first time an interlocking U image has been used by the institution. It’s been in the school’s logo rotation for years, including 2015, when it was the main logo for University of Utah athletics.
But the school says it now wants to push the interlocking logo for the university overall to “promote the institution as a whole” — including its health campus, research labs, classrooms and athletics — as it works to build its reputation as a leader across the country and celebrates its 175-year anniversary.
“While the U. is looking to expand its reputation and awareness nationally, this logo change also supports the university’s efforts to emphasize integration and collaboration across the institution as part of its strategic vision,” the school said in a news release.
U. President Taylor Randall has pushed as part of his strategic vision for the school to be a top ten academic institution nationwide.
As the primary logo, the interlocking U’s will be used for more outward-facing advertising and marketing at the school. The university said it has started this week to update its images online to include the new symbol.
The change won’t cost any additional funding, the U. noted. Physical signs on campus will be updated over time “as they age or need replacing in their normal lifespan.”
Additionally, the U. said internally that departments, colleges and divisions can and should continue using the traditional block U logo, if they’d like. That’s because they are in Utah, where audiences are familiar with the brand.
“To that end, the block U on the mountain and other prominent block U structures, such as the U by Gardner Commons or the Campus Bookstore, will remain the same,” the school said.
University of Utah Health will also continue using the block U logo that features a DNA helix for in-state marketing.
The block U was first prominently featured at the U. when a concrete version of the letter was built on the hillside above campus in 1907. The university said a 2023 survey conducted by the Association of American Universities found that 96% of people in Utah connect that logo with the school.
It didn’t release numbers for recognition outside the state, but that’s what led to the “logo refresh,” said Chief Experience Officer Andrea Thomas in a statement.
“This image better aligns to the awareness we already have,” she added.
The U. has also traditionally used a logo that many have referred to as “a drum and feather.” The tribal logo — representing the University of Utah’s longstanding partnership with the Ute Indian Tribe of eastern Utah — is actually supposed to represent a feather next to the circle of life, according to its late designer, Ute leader Lacee Harris.
“He used to bristle when he heard the logo described as a drum and feather,” notes his 2020 obituary.
The circle of life is a central symbol in Ute culture, representing birth and death for all people, animals and plants. Attached to the side of that are the feathers of an eagle, which are sacred birds to Utes and also featured in the Ute Tribe’s official seal.
There has been pushback, though, including from some Native American groups and members of the Ute Tribe, over whether the “circle and feather” symbol and the Utes’ nickname should continue at the state’s flagship university.
In 2011, then-U. President David Pershing turned the school toward using the block U instead.
