Classic Cal Academy Logo from the 2000s and Today

Last week, I managed to score this rare polo shirt during an internal staff "yard sale" — featuring the previous logo for the California Academy of Sciences. Actively in use at least from the late 1990s to the early aughts, the image has a certain playfullness to it, combining our interests in paleontology, marine biology and astronomy.  

But I'm glad we no longer use it. I've heard from a couple of sources that staff used to call it "Barney on a Treadmill," for obvious reasons.  

That said, it actually looks pretty good on the polo.  And several of my colleagues were envious of my find.

Contrast it with our current logo, which is much more stylized and abstract. While not as obvious as the old one, the current Academy logo does seem to impact a more holistic feel, with earth-tone colors implying our focus on sustainability.  It definitely has a more modern, professional tone befitting our world-class status as a scientific and research institution.

Still, T-REX!