Anatomy of the Shield
The shield was inspired by the university seal and designed to represent our core philosophy, Learn by Doing, as well as our iconic location. It pays homage to our legacy of excellence and makes Cal Poly instantly recognizable.
The shield is made up of four components.
- LEARN BY DOING Our core philosophy, present in everything that we do as an institution.
- SUN RAYS Our sunny California location combined with the illumination of academic discovery.
- BISHOP PEAK Pays tribute to our unique sense of place among the chain of volcanic mountains along the Central Coast.
- QUILL AND HAMMER A visual representation of the balance of practice and theory inherent in Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing educational philosophy has appeared in the university seal since 2001.
