Published September 4, 2025
MONROE, LA – The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) has released an updated Brand Guide, which
establishes the standard for the university’s brand and visual identity. This edition
marks the first major update of the ULM Brand Guide since 2018 and focuses on realigning
the ULM brand with the story of the P-40 Warhawk aircraft. The new brand guide can
be viewed at https://bit.ly/ULMBrandGuide
The updated Brand Guide summarizes 10 years of work by ULM’s Office of Marketing and
Communications that included extensive research, user interaction, and collaboration
among all university stakeholders (current and former), including the U.S. military,
university leadership, students and student-athletes, coaches, historians, and alumni.
The new edition of the ULM Brand Guide introduces several new visual assets inspired
by the P-40 Warhawk, the plane flown by General Claire Lee Chennault’s Flying Tigers
of the American Volunteer Group in the Second Sino-Japanese War in China prior to
WWII. Chennault is a Northeast Louisiana native whose connection to the area was a
contributing factor to ULM selecting “Warhawks” as its new mascot in 2006.
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Dr. Carrie Castille (right) and Head Football Coach and Interim Athletic Director
Bryant Vincent (left) pose with Ace the Warhawk.
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“At ULM, we are proud to be Warhawks. We have a rich history and a bright future.
As we near our 100-year anniversary as an institution, we reflect on everything this
university has been and what it can be. Our brand is strong because of our students,
faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners who help us carry the spirit of ULM,
honoring tradition and embracing what’s to come. This new Brand Guide ensures that
we move forward as one brand, one voice, one university,” said ULM President Dr. Carrie
L. Castille.
The new edition of the ULM Brand Guide was developed by Executive Creative Director
Srdjan Marjanovic, who also designed all of the new P-40 related assets. Marjanovic
says there has been confusion in recent years about whether the Warhawk is a bird
or a plane. The answer? “We are both. This duality is central to the Warhawks’ identity
and is uniquely ours at ULM. It honors both the vision, precision, and adaptability
of the hawk and the legacy of the P-40 Warhawk aircraft flown by General Claire Lee
Chennault and his Flying Tigers. This narrative is not just symbolic; it’s rooted
in history and regional pride,” said Marjanovic.
Marjanovic says the purpose of this brand realignment is to introduce a flexible identity
system that incorporates a wider range of supportive brand assets. Over the past three
years, these new brand assets have been rolled out across uniforms, athletic facilities,
recruitment materials, licensed merchandise, and more.
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| Several of the new P-40-inspired brand elements have already been incorporated into
athletic uniforms. |
New P-40-inspired brand elements detailed in the Brand Guide include the shark mouth
logo, a representation of the famous shark mouth graphics the Flying Tigers painted
on their P-40s before flying into battle, as well as several iterations of the P-40
in flight. Beginning in 2024, the ULM football team’s primary helmets featured the
shark mouth design, gaining recognition from national media outlets. Additionally,
the football team’s new black uniforms feature several of the P-40 design elements
and were well received by the community.
Also used as a supportive mark is a roundel, a five-point white star inside a maroon
circle with a gold center. The original roundel featured a five-point white star inside
a blue circle with a red center and was used as an identifier on the wings and fuselage
of the P-40. The U.S. military has granted ULM special permission to use a variation
of this retired mark in ULM colors in perpetuity. It currently appears on various
athletic uniforms and licensed merchandise, as well as the turf of Malone Stadium
and the floor of Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
“Thanks to the vision and support of President Castille and Dr. Brice Jones, Executive
Director of Marketing and Communications, the expert guidance of Nell Calloway, Director
of the Chennault Aviation & Military Museum, along with Bill Mahan, former Delta pilot
and passionate Warhawk historian, this brand realignment is now officially recognized
and grounded in both historical and cultural authority,” said Marjanovic.
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| A collection of design concepts incorporating the new P-40 Warhawk brand assets. |
“Brand guidelines serve a critical role in protecting the integrity of an organization’s
brand,” said Dr. Brice Jones, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications.
“A consistent and clearly defined brand provides the foundation for organizational
stability and long-term success. These revised guidelines incorporate both existing
and updated policies and procedures, while also providing the historical context that
led to the adoption of the Warhawks name. The document is intended to ensure brand
compliance and establish clear standards, presented within a framework that is both
accessible and historically informed.”
The ULM Brand Guide is created and maintained by the ULM Office of Marketing and Communications.
For more information, please visit www.ulm.edu/omc.
