South Carolina has a family of official marks to represent the university in a range of contexts and settings. These are the only marks that should be used when developing communications.
To compete successfully for students, faculty members and support, the university has built a strong identity to distinguish us from other institutions and to project our stature as the state's flagship university. The system of logos reflects the university's established naming conventions, or nomenclature. When used appropriately, the logos graphically represent our characteristics and build brand awareness and equity.
It is essential to use official university logos properly and within established guidelines. Official logos should never be modified, altered, stretched or distorted in any way. What's more, permission to use the University of South Carolina's athletic and spirit symbols must be approved through the university's Trademark Licensing Office. Private vendors wishing to use logos on salable merchandise must contact Collegiate Licensing for rights and terms of use.
The primary logo includes the wordmark from the 2019 tree and gates logo with the stacked monogram. It should be used in most marketing communications, unless restricted by available space.
The 2019 tree and gates logo represents the university at the highest level. It must always be presented in its original format — never altered or manipulated. It is used only for official, university-wide communications.
The monogram is a simple, iconic representation of the university that should be used in communications where space is limited. Such applications include social media and digital marketing opportunities.
Columbia campus colleges and schools, comprehensive universities, Palmetto College campuses, university-wide centers and upper administrative units each have a unique unit logo. Unit logos include the name of the campus, college, school or center typeset below the University of South Carolina. These logos should not be re-created or modified.
You can use different versions of the university logo within a multipage piece, but do not use more than one version of the logo per page. For a one-page flyer, only use one version of the logo.
The University of South Carolina is proud to partner with like-minded organizations. Please respect all of the university’s guidelines for logo usage as published on the brand toolbox. Additionally, when developing co-branded communications materials, please follow these guidelines as well.
The university has three spirit logos that are frequently used in material related to student activities, athletic teams and events. The Gamecock is the symbol for University of South Carolina athletics. The Gamecock may appear alone or in combination with the traditional Block C. Use of the Block C and Gamecock logo must be approved by the Trademark Licensing Office.
The university seal, which dates back to 1803, quotes the Latin poet Ovid, "Emollit Mores Nec Sinit Esse Feros," which is translated as "Learning humanizes character and does not permit it to be cruel." Beneath the words are Liberty and the goddess of wisdom, Minerva, who bears a shield decorated with the South Carolina state seal. The words and image remind us that a university education builds both intellect and character. The Latin inscription below the figures is the school name and founding year of 1801. The seal identifies formal university occasions such as commencement and board matters. You must have permission from the secretary of the Board of Trustees to use the seal.