UNC’s bold move: When the athletic logo goes university-wide

Thoughts on UNC Chapel Hill’s New Mark

UNC Chapel Hill’s decision to elevate the interlocking NC—long rooted in athletics—to the official university mark is a bold move, but not a surprising one. It surfaces a familiar tension I felt while designing for higher ed at the University of Kentucky: the uneasy merge between academic identity and athletic identity.

Academic marks carry mission, scholarship, and institutional history. Athletic marks carry energy, distribution, and devotion. One lives on diplomas; the other fills stadiums, broadcasts, and closets. And whether we like it or not, the athletic mark is often the public’s first point of contact with a university.

UNC is leaning into that reality. Their newly adopted system doesn’t replace the academic identity so much as recenter the entire brand on the most recognizable, emotionally loaded symbol they have. It’s a sober acknowledgement of how audiences actually encounter universities today.

As a studio owner, I see both sides clearly. Using the athletics mark can simplify recognition, unify a sprawling institution, and strengthen recall. But it comes with tradeoffs. Academic and research units risk feeling overshadowed. Faculty may worry that scholarly identity is being dressed in a jersey. And if the system isn’t well-designed, the athletics aesthetic can bleed too far into contexts that require a more serious, grounded tone.

So is there room for both? Yes—but only with intention.

A successful higher-ed identity system needs clear hierarchy. Let the athletic mark be the high-visibility beacon that draws people in. Let the academic system define the depth, rigor, and mission that keep them there. Separate roles, unified structure. Athletics generates awareness; academics generate meaning.

UNC’s move is a reminder that brand equity often comes from unexpected places. We don’t get to choose where the strongest recognition lives. We only get to choose how to structure it.