kepdawg
08-16-2006, 11:59 PM
Teams begin to recognize value of logos
By Bill Spinks
Herald Democrat
Every high school in Texomaland has one — a logo which represents the school or, in most cases, its athletic teams.
They emblazon T-shirts, football helmets, and gymnasium floors. They can be found on the welcome sign at the edge of town. And often, they are an expression of school pride.
Until recently, the use of logos at the high-school level was informal and loosely regulated, if at all. In many cases, they remain so today.
But the recent boom in merchandising of licensed products is beginning to filter down from the professional and college ranks to the high schools, and causing administrators to look into branding their own product.
Van Alstyne ISD superintendent Bill Lytle, whose school trademarked its longstanding “interlocking VA” six years ago, was one of the first in the area to recognize the value of his school’s logo.
“I had seen another ‘interlocking VA’ somewhere, and I said we should trademark ours so nobody could take it away from us,” Lytle said. “We filled out the paperwork and sent it in, and it didn’t cost too much.”
Lytle said his school district has allowed the logo’s use by organizations on T-shirts and other spirit items, and added that he once even gave permission for the VA logo to be printed on a Panther fan’s personal checks.
“We’ve been lenient about it,” Lytle said. “(The school district) could get a percentage (of profits) if we wanted to pursue it.”
What are logos?
A logo is a name, symbol or trademark of a company or organization.
Logos (or more formally, “logotypes”) have been used for many hundreds of years. A national flag is a form of logotype, as is a family coat-of-arms or a Scottish tartan. They all had a practical purpose: to distinguish clans or armies from one another, often on the battlefield.
In the 19th century, a different kind of battlefield arose: the corporate one. Railroads and early oil companies seeking to create a unique identity sought a marketing edge over their competitors and saw early the value of brand recognition.
Today, of course, logos are everywhere. The same desire to create a brand image through the use of logos is visible in college and professional sports, and is becoming more and more so in the wild and untamed frontier of Texas prep marketing.
High-school logos come in different shapes and forms — an animal’s pawprint; a single, stylized letter or a set of letters; a representation of the mascot — but they are all the intellectual property of the school and can be used for a wide range of promotional purposes, not just to adorn a helmet.
Van Alstyne’s Lytle was among the first in the area to apply for and receive a trademark for his high school’s logo.
Trademark applications can be submitted through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site, and fees begin at $325.
Trademarks on logos only last a certain period of time before they expire, after which the logo becomes part of the public domain.
To an extent, however, that has already happened in Van Alstyne.
“People embroider (the VA logo) on their clothes, and nobody’s really asked us for permission,” Lytle said. “But we haven’t been exclusive with it, though we could be. We want to generate interest.”
Legal issues
High schools in general have had occasional problems borrowing logos of college and pro teams.
For instance, in 2002, Tulsa Union was forced to change its logo, which closely resembled the University of Miami’s “U” logo.
In Arkansas, Hector High School wore the Kansas State wildcat logo on its helmets during its 1998 Class 2A state runner-up campaign, but had to remove them the following year because the proper procedure for licensing wasn’t followed.
Last year, a high school in Ohio was asked by Oregon State officials to stop using its beaver logo, which they found to be too similar to the university’s copyrighted and trademarked logo.
Logos are protected by federal copyright laws, and inappropriate use of a logo or trademark can be grounds for legal action. However, schools can, with permission, use these registered logos or a variation thereof.
Licensing fees vary, but they can range from as low as a dollar a year to as much as $100 — a small price to pay compared to the thousands of dollars it could cost when forced to remove a logo off a gymnasium floor, scoreboard and uniforms.
Locally, Tom Bean uses a variation of the Texas Tech logo, and Whitesboro in 2004 began using a logo based on the Washington State helmet sticker.
Gunter for years has used the “GT” (for “Gunter Tigers”) which, other than its blue color, is identical to the Georgia Tech logo.
It’s by design
Some schools with a long tradition have used the same logo for decades, while others have used graphic designers to update their image.
A number of companies exist whose purpose is to design and produce logos for high-school teams as well as corporations. A Google search will turn up hundreds of firms which, for a fee, will design one.
Many of these designers hawk their services at gatherings such as the Texas High School Coaches Association’s coaching school, which takes place annually at the end of July.
But sometimes, inspiration for a design comes through osmosis.
Whitewright athletics director Chuck Lipsey, whose school adopted an “oval W” logo four years ago, said he got the idea for his school’s design from seeing others he saw during coaching school.
“I know a lot of schools have used logos from other places before, but we’ve got a pretty unique logo,” Lipsey said.
Other schools have student-designed logos.
Howe, for instance, uses a bulldog logo that was created by a student, Steve Wallace, in 1974.
Howe’s logo has been around consistently for more than 30 years, according to Monte Walker, who maintains the Web site howebulldogs.com.
Anna’s school district uses several logos which are not trademarked. The most popular one, seen on its football helmets and program cover, features a large “A” with a coyote figure standing alongside.
“Our logo is welcome to be used by our community and sports organizations to encourage school spirit,” said Dirk Callison, assistant superintendent for Anna ISD.
By Bill Spinks
Herald Democrat
Every high school in Texomaland has one — a logo which represents the school or, in most cases, its athletic teams.
They emblazon T-shirts, football helmets, and gymnasium floors. They can be found on the welcome sign at the edge of town. And often, they are an expression of school pride.
Until recently, the use of logos at the high-school level was informal and loosely regulated, if at all. In many cases, they remain so today.
But the recent boom in merchandising of licensed products is beginning to filter down from the professional and college ranks to the high schools, and causing administrators to look into branding their own product.
Van Alstyne ISD superintendent Bill Lytle, whose school trademarked its longstanding “interlocking VA” six years ago, was one of the first in the area to recognize the value of his school’s logo.
“I had seen another ‘interlocking VA’ somewhere, and I said we should trademark ours so nobody could take it away from us,” Lytle said. “We filled out the paperwork and sent it in, and it didn’t cost too much.”
Lytle said his school district has allowed the logo’s use by organizations on T-shirts and other spirit items, and added that he once even gave permission for the VA logo to be printed on a Panther fan’s personal checks.
“We’ve been lenient about it,” Lytle said. “(The school district) could get a percentage (of profits) if we wanted to pursue it.”
What are logos?
A logo is a name, symbol or trademark of a company or organization.
Logos (or more formally, “logotypes”) have been used for many hundreds of years. A national flag is a form of logotype, as is a family coat-of-arms or a Scottish tartan. They all had a practical purpose: to distinguish clans or armies from one another, often on the battlefield.
In the 19th century, a different kind of battlefield arose: the corporate one. Railroads and early oil companies seeking to create a unique identity sought a marketing edge over their competitors and saw early the value of brand recognition.
Today, of course, logos are everywhere. The same desire to create a brand image through the use of logos is visible in college and professional sports, and is becoming more and more so in the wild and untamed frontier of Texas prep marketing.
High-school logos come in different shapes and forms — an animal’s pawprint; a single, stylized letter or a set of letters; a representation of the mascot — but they are all the intellectual property of the school and can be used for a wide range of promotional purposes, not just to adorn a helmet.
Van Alstyne’s Lytle was among the first in the area to apply for and receive a trademark for his high school’s logo.
Trademark applications can be submitted through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site, and fees begin at $325.
Trademarks on logos only last a certain period of time before they expire, after which the logo becomes part of the public domain.
To an extent, however, that has already happened in Van Alstyne.
“People embroider (the VA logo) on their clothes, and nobody’s really asked us for permission,” Lytle said. “But we haven’t been exclusive with it, though we could be. We want to generate interest.”
Legal issues
High schools in general have had occasional problems borrowing logos of college and pro teams.
For instance, in 2002, Tulsa Union was forced to change its logo, which closely resembled the University of Miami’s “U” logo.
In Arkansas, Hector High School wore the Kansas State wildcat logo on its helmets during its 1998 Class 2A state runner-up campaign, but had to remove them the following year because the proper procedure for licensing wasn’t followed.
Last year, a high school in Ohio was asked by Oregon State officials to stop using its beaver logo, which they found to be too similar to the university’s copyrighted and trademarked logo.
Logos are protected by federal copyright laws, and inappropriate use of a logo or trademark can be grounds for legal action. However, schools can, with permission, use these registered logos or a variation thereof.
Licensing fees vary, but they can range from as low as a dollar a year to as much as $100 — a small price to pay compared to the thousands of dollars it could cost when forced to remove a logo off a gymnasium floor, scoreboard and uniforms.
Locally, Tom Bean uses a variation of the Texas Tech logo, and Whitesboro in 2004 began using a logo based on the Washington State helmet sticker.
Gunter for years has used the “GT” (for “Gunter Tigers”) which, other than its blue color, is identical to the Georgia Tech logo.
It’s by design
Some schools with a long tradition have used the same logo for decades, while others have used graphic designers to update their image.
A number of companies exist whose purpose is to design and produce logos for high-school teams as well as corporations. A Google search will turn up hundreds of firms which, for a fee, will design one.
Many of these designers hawk their services at gatherings such as the Texas High School Coaches Association’s coaching school, which takes place annually at the end of July.
But sometimes, inspiration for a design comes through osmosis.
Whitewright athletics director Chuck Lipsey, whose school adopted an “oval W” logo four years ago, said he got the idea for his school’s design from seeing others he saw during coaching school.
“I know a lot of schools have used logos from other places before, but we’ve got a pretty unique logo,” Lipsey said.
Other schools have student-designed logos.
Howe, for instance, uses a bulldog logo that was created by a student, Steve Wallace, in 1974.
Howe’s logo has been around consistently for more than 30 years, according to Monte Walker, who maintains the Web site howebulldogs.com.
Anna’s school district uses several logos which are not trademarked. The most popular one, seen on its football helmets and program cover, features a large “A” with a coyote figure standing alongside.
“Our logo is welcome to be used by our community and sports organizations to encourage school spirit,” said Dirk Callison, assistant superintendent for Anna ISD.