One of the UW’s most mysterious symbols is the W crest, which first appeared as an architectural embellishment on the Wisconsin Field House. No one knows who created the crest or why. State architect Arthur Peabody designed the Field House, in partnership with Paul Cret, but neither Peabody nor Cret takes credit for the design. The Field House opened in 1931, and over the years, the crest has become increasingly popular. It was incorporated as a design element into the Kohl Center, the facility that took the Field House’s place as the UW’s primary basketball arena in 1998. By the 2000s, it had become the official logo of UW–Madison.

The art for the Badger Pride Wall was created for WAA by Madison illustrator Nate Koehler.