Vikings Primary Logo

The Portland State Vikings are one of the most recognizable college athletic programs in the country, and their primary logo has been a part of that recognition since its inception. The original design was created by Oregon native and PSU alum Bill Schonely in 1975. It featured an image of a Viking warrior with his sword raised above his head, set against a yellow shield with three stars representing each school's colors; green, white, and black.

Since then it has undergone several modifications over the years to reflect changes within both the athletics department as well as university branding guidelines. In 2002 for example there were some minor adjustments made to make sure that all elements conformed to modern standards such as increasing font size so it could be seen from further away on banners or jerseys etc. Additionally, during this time period, they also updated the shield portion making it more angular which helped give off more energy when viewed at different angles or distances compared to its predecessor’s rounder shape.

In 2008 another update took place where they decided to remove any words associated with “Vikings” altogether leaving only an abstracted version of what had become synonymous with Portland State Athletics: The Sword & Shield Logo! This change allowed them greater flexibility when using their brand mark across multiple platforms while still retaining much-needed continuity between previous iterations due largely in part because many fans had grown accustomed over decades prior having seen these symbols prominently displayed everywhere from t-shirts & hats all way up through billboards around town!

Today you can find versions of this iconic symbol just about anywhere including official apparel merchandise online stores throughout campus buildings even being used inside student union facilities like food court areas too – proving once again why no matter how times may change; history will always remain important element our lives here at Portland State University!