Panthers Primary Logo
The Florida International University Panthers have a long and proud history of athletic achievement. As the official mascot for FIU, the Panther has been an integral part of school spirit since its inception in 1965. Throughout the years, there have been several iterations of logos featuring this beloved creature. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some notable changes to FIU’s primary logo over time and explore how it has evolved into what it is today!
FIU's first logo was introduced in 1966 when they adopted their current nickname: The Panthers. This original design featured two fierce panthers facing each other on either side of a shield with “Florida International University” written across it in gold letters above blue waves representing Miami-Dade County's waterways below them (the colors were later changed to black). The image was meant to symbolize strength and unity among students as well as represent South Florida's unique environment through its aquatic elements.
In 1974, FIU made minor alterations by replacing “Florida International University" with just "FIU" while keeping everything else mostly intact – including their iconic twin panther motif which would remain unchanged until 2001 when they decided to update their brand identity once again by introducing an entirely new set of visuals that better reflected modern times while still honoring traditional values like loyalty & camaraderie amongst students/alumni alike (as represented by both cats staying close together).
This latest version features one powerful-looking cat standing alone against a navy background surrounded by stars – signifying excellence within academics & athletics simultaneously; all held together inside an orange oval shape that represents energy & enthusiasm from everyone involved at FIU! It also includes silver accents throughout along with updated fonts used for both the university name/mascot text so that the overall presentation looks more contemporary yet timelessly classic at the same time - making sure everyone knows exactly who these proud Panthers are no matter where you go or what year may be!
2010 - Present
Front view of a gold and blue panther in attack mode with initials “FIU” in blue with gold trim.
Corrected their 2008 primary logo to make the “I” in the initials “FIU” more visible.
2008 - 2010
Front view of a gold and blue panther in attack mode with initials “FIU” in blue with gold trim.
2001 - 2008
Gold and blue panther walking off a blue and gold shield with the wordmark “GOLDEN” in gold and “PANTHERS” in white with gold trim.
1996 - 2001
A growling golden panther above the initials “FIU” and a white globe and arched wordmark “GOLDEN PANTHERS” in blue, yellow, and red. The lower body of the panther is composed of bolts.
The globe represents the International of the school name.
1987 - 1996
A scripted wordmark “Golden Panthers” in blue above a growling golden panther’s head in gold on blue background.
1973 - 1987
Diagonally scripted wordmark “Sunblazers” with a tail extending for the ending of the letter “S” above the initials “FIU” on top of a blazing sun in light blue and yellow.
The original nickname was the Sunblazers, but it was changed in 1987 to the Golden Panthers.