page_title: Bob Gessner
section_title: University of Pittsburgh
hierarchical_section_title: Bob Gessner / Logo work / University of Pittsburgh
caption_attribution_description: Pitt Student Union
context_page_description: Robert Gessner is an American freelance artist, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who created many of the logos for the city's athletic teams. In addition to producing logos, Gessner also provided the artwork for the local teams' programs. After studying at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh, Gessner fought in the Korean War with the U.S. Army before returning to Pittsburgh to begin his freelance artist career. He is credited for providing logos to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Hornets and the Pitt Panthers.
context_section_description: He designed the University of Pittsburgh's script "Pitt" logo first used on their football helmets in 1973. Pitt's script logos became the most dominant logo for the university and athletic teams starting with its adoption onto the football helmets of the university in 1973. While earning his degree at Pitt, Gessner became friends with Beano Cook, the University's sports information director. Cook gave Gessner some freelance illustration jobs for athletic programs, newspapers and other Panthers' publications. Gessner's "Pitt" script logo is actually a stylized version of the signature of William Pitt, the British Secretary of State during the French and Indian War, and later Prime Minister, for whom Fort Pitt and later Pittsburgh were named.
caption: The "script Pitt" logo designed by Gessner, seen here embedded in the plaza outside of the William Pitt Union, served as the primary logo from 1973 until 1997 and is a popular vintage trademark
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