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Logos

The William & Mary logo is the cornerstone of our visual identity — a symbol of excellence and tradition recognized around the world. Using it consistently reinforces our shared story and helps every audience immediately identify our work as part of the William & Mary community. The following guidelines outline proper usage for university, school, office and department, athletics and student organization logos, ensuring clarity, distinction and unity across all applications. Together, these marks represent the strength of one brand expressed through many voices.

Signature Lockups

As part of our University Brand Guidelines, departments, offices and programs are prohibited from developing custom logos. An abundance of logos produces a diluted brand, one that is not consistent and recognizable. Campus units are required to adopt an official William & Mary signature lockup for communications. If you would like to request a lockup, please submit a request.

Logo of William & Mary with 'William' and 'Mary' in dark green, separated by an ornate, gold ampersand

Primary Logo

The William & Mary logo is the keystone of our visual identity. This logo is designed for clarity and scalability and should be used on all communications materials. Using the logo consistently will enhance the recognition of the University by all audiences. The primary logo can either be stacked or all on one line.

The William & Mary logo featuring an elegant gold crown over intertwined "W" and "M" letters intertwined in a Cypher, with "William & Mary" in green text below.

Secondary Logo with Cypher

The secondary logos include options where the wordmark is paired with the Cypher. This logo should only be used when it’s being presented large enough for the Cypher to render clearly.

Logo of initials 'W & M' in dark green, with a gold ampersand, on a white background

W&M Monogram

In certain contexts, particularly on merchandise, the “W&M” monogram may serve as substitute primary branding for the university logo. The official “W&M” is finished artwork and must never be recreated or altered. It must always include the ampersand, and no substitutions to the ampersand’s style, size, or placement are permitted.

The primary version features the “W” and “M” in William & Mary Green and the ampersand in William & Mary Gold on a white background. Acceptable variations may be used to accommodate different background colors or reversed (white) applications. The university’s primary colors — green, gold or white — may be used to offset the ampersand from the “W” and “M,” but the monogram should never appear in Spirit Gold.

Logo of William & Mary College of Arts & Sciences with green and gold text on a white background

School Logos

School logos are designed for consistency, working well both together and on their own. Each school has horizontal and vertical versions. School names appear in green, title-case type — complementing the W&M logo while distinguishing school logos from unit logos.

By virtue of their size, audience and academic missions, schools are unique parts of the university. Their distinction as separate schools in turn requires distinction in their visual identities. Each school maintains a logo that serves as a unique mark for its purposes while allowing it to remain complementary to the wider university visual identity system.

All policies that apply to the university logo also apply to each school’s logo (e.g. prohibited alterations, etc.)

Green and gold text reading "William & Mary" above "University Marketing"

Department & Program Lockups

Department and program lockups use the full William & Mary logo as well as the W&M monogram. In instances where the lockup is alone, without any other school branding, the full William & Mary lockups should be used.

The names of the units are written in bold, all-caps and in a 76% tint of W&M green, to immediately contrast the school lock ups.

Stylized "W&M" letters in dark green with a gold outline

Athletics Logos

The W&M Athletics monogram is the university’s primary athletic mark. It is most often used to either communicate affiliation with William & Mary Athletics or to engender support and spirit for W&M Athletics.

Stylized griffin with green wings and a fierce expression. It has a lion's body and an eagle's head

Griffin

The William & Mary Griffin is the university’s official mascot and is always represented with official artwork. Because the university’s athletic identity is the “Tribe” and not the “Griffins,” it is essential that the Griffin be portrayed in a way that causes no confusion or uncertainty on that point. In order to communicate this clearly, the Griffin most often appears accompanied by mention of the Tribe.

At William & Mary, the word Tribe is synonymous with community. It speaks to our shared commitment to each other and to our passion and pride for this venerable university and the beloved traditions that bring us together.

Depictions of the Griffin should never deviate from the official illustrations. Portions (crops) of the Griffin’s official artwork may be used at the communicator’s discretion, but this must be practiced with care and under the review of peer communicators.

Logo with green letters "SUA" and gold text underneath reading "Students for University Advancement" on a white background

Student Organization Logos

Recognized student organizations may use official university marks, colors and the registered name “William & Mary” in their communications, as long as they follow brand guidelines. Use of official marks must remain visually separate from the organization’s own logo, except for the W&M Monogram, which may be incorporated directly into student organization logos.

Student organizations may create their own logos. They may use official university colors and may typeset “William & Mary,” but the type must look clearly different from the university wordmark.

Organization logos may not include the university wordmarks, Coat of Arms, the Cypher or any other trademarked assets (other than the W&M Monogram). These marks are reserved to protect the clarity and recognizability of the university’s identity.

Club sports may use the athletics “W&M” artwork. Logos for each club sport are available through Campus Recreation at [[rsclub]].

A W&M wordmark with light blue dashed lines for spacing guidelines

Logo Usage Guidelines

To maintain consistency, legibility and brand integrity across all applications, every use of the William & Mary logo and all official unit or department logos must follow standard usage guidelines.

Access Brand Assets & Templates with Canto

William & Mary’s official brand assets are housed in Canto, the university’s digital asset management system for logos, templates, graphics and other brand resources. This system helps ensure consistent and accurate use of the university’s visual identity and provides access to the most current approved files.

For internal partners, the full suite of brand assets is available by signing in to Canto through single sign on (SSO) using university credentials.

External users and vendor partners can access the main university marks via a Canto portal, allowing collaborators to work with approved assets while maintaining accuracy and brand consistency.

Have Questions About Applying the Brand?

The offices of University Marketing and University Communications maintain William & Mary’s visual identity and brand guidelines. Their staff of marketing and communications professionals are available to respond to questions and assist with requests.