In April 1986 President Edward J. Boling announced adoption of an official UT Logo, a “T” of which the shape of the state of Tennessee forms the top. Ted Williams, a 1955 UT graduate who worked for UT publications from 1964 to 1999, designed it. This followed the shared trademark compromise with the University of Texas for the interlocking UT and replaced the squared UT adopted for campus signage in 1967. Vice President for Public Relations Sammie Lynn Puett said that the new logo met the four criteria required: distinctiveness, versatility, simplicity, and design integrity.
Although most campuses and units were to use the logo in orange, UT at Chattanooga was to use it in blue and gold, and UT at Martin was to use orange and blue. Boling announced that the new logo was to replace all other logos in use, with the exception of symbols and logos related exclusively to campus sports programs. Williams also developed most of the Athletic Department’s logos and designs, including the frontiersman Volunteer, the “Power T” and the “moving VOLS.”
In fall 2014 UT Knoxville announced that it would differentiate itself from the UT system by adopting the “Power T” as the campus logo. Used by the Athletics Department since 1964, the Power T would not become the UT Knoxville logo, used on all university promotional documents, on-campus signage, and other materials, including letterhead of all units. In anticipation of the move away from the UT system logo, multiple focus groups of students, faculty, alumni, and prospective students were held in Knoxville and Atlanta, and the logos of other universities were reviewed. The move was to be made gradually, as signage and other items were replaced.