West Virginia Mountaineers

1980-present
This logo was designed by John Boyd Martin, a portrait artist, graphic designer, and illustrator with no ties to West Virginia University other than his brother being head of its athletic department. Don Nehlin, Mike Kerin, and Mike Parsons were looking to reinvent the Mountaineers' image after a bad losing streak from 1976 to 1979, but with little artistic ability of their own, they had to seek outside help. While details between the three individuals remain foggy, it is known that sketches were sent into Martin, who subsequently disliked them and attempted his own design for the logo built around mountains, aiming for a similar simplicity he saw in Nike, McDonald's, and Apple's logos. He avoided incorporating a "U," feeling it would be too much, though he added serifs to allow the logo to appear more recognizable.