It is one of the oldest schools in America. Second oldest, actually. Because of that, the William and Mary logo isn't just a piece of marketing fluff designed by a high-priced agency in a glass office; it’s a weirdly personal piece of history that students and alumni treat with a massive amount of protectiveness. If you’ve ever walked across the Sunken Garden or spent a late night in Swem Library, you know that the "W&M" isn't just letters. It’s a brand that has survived centuries of evolution, a few controversies, and a very public transition from feathers to monograms.
Branding a university that was founded in 1693 is a nightmare. Honestly. How do you respect a Royal Charter from King William III and Queen Mary II while trying to look good on a Nike sweatshirt? You don’t want to look like a dusty museum, but you also can't look like a tech startup.
The College of William & Mary has spent decades threading that needle. They’ve moved away from some of the more literal, historical imagery to focus on the "Cypher"—that elegant, interlocking W and M that you see everywhere now. It’s clean. It’s classic. It’s also surprisingly hard to get right when you’re printing it on a tiny lapel pin.
The Cypher: More Than Just a Fancy W
The heart of the William and Mary logo system today is the Cypher. If you look at it closely, the W and the M are intertwined in a way that reflects the joint monarchs the school is named after. It’s a direct nod to the late 17th century. Back then, monograms were everything.
Design-wise, it’s a masterpiece of symmetry. The lines are thin but authoritative. In 2007, the college went through a pretty significant brand "refresh." They didn't scrap the Cypher—that would have caused a literal riot in Williamsburg—but they standardized it. They fixed the weights of the lines so it would actually be legible on a smartphone screen. Before that, the logo sometimes looked a bit spindly or got lost when scaled down.
The colors are just as important. William & Mary Green and William & Mary Gold. These aren't just random shades of forest and yellow. The green is deep, almost emerald, and the gold is meant to feel metallic and prestigious. When you see that green and gold Cypher, you know exactly what you’re looking at. It’s the visual shorthand for "Public Ivy."
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What Happened to the Feathers?
We have to talk about the feathers. You can't discuss the William and Mary logo without acknowledging the "Tribe" history. For a long time, the athletic logo featured two green and gold feathers. They were a staple of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.
However, around 2006, the NCAA started cracking down on Native American imagery. Even though William & Mary’s "Tribe" nickname didn't refer to a specific person or use a caricature like some other schools, the feathers were deemed "hostile and abusive" by the NCAA's standards at the time. The college fought it. They really did. They argued that the feathers were a symbol of unity and historical connection to the Brafferton School.
They lost.
The feathers were stripped from the official William and Mary logo in 2007. This created a bit of an identity crisis for the athletics department. For a few years, they just used the Cypher for everything. But fans wanted something "sporty." Something that felt like a team, not just a graduate school transcript.
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The Griffin: The Logo Nobody Expected
Enter the Griffin. In 2010, after a long search and a lot of community input, the college introduced a new mascot and a corresponding athletic logo.
A Griffin. Half lion, half eagle.
Why? Because the lion represents the English monarchy (William III) and the eagle represents the United States. It’s a bridge between the school's colonial roots and its American identity. The athletic William and Mary logo now features a fierce-looking Griffin, usually clutching the Cypher or standing proudly.
It was polarizing. Kinda still is, if you ask some of the older alumni. Some people loved the mythological connection. Others thought it felt a bit like a Harry Potter reject. But over the last decade plus, the Griffin has grown on people. It’s become a distinct part of the school's visual language. It gives the sports teams a "face" that the Cypher alone couldn't provide.
The Royal Coat of Arms
While the Cypher is the primary "brand," the Royal Coat of Arms is the "soul" of the institution. This is the official seal. It’s what you see on diplomas and formal academic regalia.
It’s incredibly busy. There’s a sun, there’s a college building, there are symbols of the monarchy. It’s the only coat of arms ever granted to an American college by the College of Heralds in London. That’s a massive flex. Because it’s so complex, it’s never used for general marketing. You won't see it on a t-shirt at the bookstore very often because it just looks like a blob of ink from five feet away.
But its existence allows the William and Mary logo (the Cypher) to be simpler. The seal handles the "ancient tradition" side of things, which frees up the Cypher to handle the "modern university" side.
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Why the Design Works (and Why It Matters)
Effective university branding is about consistency. You’ve probably noticed that every department at W&M uses the same font now. That’s not an accident. They use a font called Baskerville, which is a "transitional" serif typeface. It was designed in the 1750s.
Think about that. The font they use to write emails and headers was designed just a few decades after the school was founded. It fits the vibe. It feels intentional.
The William and Mary logo succeeds because it doesn't try to be trendy. It doesn't use neon colors or weird geometric shapes that will look dated in five years. It leans into its age. In a world where everything feels temporary and digital, there’s something deeply comforting about a logo that looks like it could have been carved into a wooden desk in 1720.
Practical Takeaways for Using the Brand
If you’re a student, a local business owner, or just a fan, there are a few things you should know about using the William and Mary logo correctly. The college is actually pretty strict about it.
- Don't stretch the Cypher. It’s a common mistake. People grab the corner of the image and pull it, making the "W" look weirdly wide. Don't do that.
- Respect the "Clear Space." The logo needs room to breathe. Don't crowd it with other text or images.
- The Green is Specific. If you're printing something, you need the actual Pantone color (PMS 343 or 3435). Using a bright "Kelly Green" makes it look like a high school project.
- The Griffin and Cypher have different jobs. Use the Griffin for spirit gear and sports. Use the Cypher for everything else.
The evolution of the William and Mary logo is a lesson in resilience. It shows how an institution can lose a beloved symbol (the feathers), survive a period of uncertainty, and come out the other side with a brand that feels even stronger. It manages to be both "The College" (the academic powerhouse) and "The Tribe" (the tight-knit community) at the same time.
For anyone looking to represent the school, the best move is to stick to the official Cypher. It’s the most recognizable, most respected, and most timeless version of the school's identity. It’s survived kings, queens, and the NCAA. It’ll probably survive another 300 years.
Next Steps for Alumni and Students:
If you are looking to use the logo for a specific project, head over to the William & Mary University Communications website. They have a "Brand Toolkit" that provides the exact hex codes for the green and gold, along with high-resolution downloads of the Cypher and the Griffin. Using the official files ensures that the colors don't look "off" when you print them, which is the quickest way to spot a knock-off. If you're designing apparel, remember that any commercial use requires a license through the university's licensing partner, CLC. Stick to the Baskerville or Caslon fonts for text to keep that classic colonial aesthetic.