Central unveils new athletics graphic identity

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA—A refresh of the Central College athletics department’s graphic identity was unveiled Wednesday.

It was produced by national athletics branding specialist Joe Bosack of Joe Bosack & Co. of Pottsville, Pa. Bosack has developed athletics brand identities for some 100 colleges and universities and is the creator of the NCAA’s national championship logos, including the identity for the Division I men’s basketball Final Four, displayed on the playing floor in Phoenix last spring.

The identity was selected by a project team led by president Mark Putnam and including athletics director Eric Van Kley. Designs were tested with focus groups of coaches, staff and student-athletes.

The move coincides with branding work underway in newly expanded P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium as part of the college’s $12-million Forever Dutch initiative, which is ongoing. The identity replaces a Central Dutch mark that was created in 1996 by artist Joel Williamson. That mark includes what is known as the University of Chicago C, which Central used for many years. The widely copied mark, created in 1898, is employed by professional teams including the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Bears, as well as numerous college and high school teams.

Unfortunately, its popularity also left it largely unidentifiable as a Central College mark, Putnam said. And the college had no ability to gain trademark control over its use.

“Central’s athletics teams are one of the most visible manifestations of the Central College brand,” Putnam said. “As we continue to seek ways to raise Central’s institutional profile in an intensely competitive marketplace, it’s critical that our teams employ a graphic identity that is not only bright and visually appealing but also as unique and distinctive to Central College as the powerful championships legacy our student-athletes have created over the past 125 years.”

The new artwork is also more flexible and adaptable for use on multiple platforms, ranging from gym floors to caps to social media icons.

The college is exercising financial prudence in the logo’s implementation, Putnam stressed. Signage and uniforms with the previous artwork will be replaced over time, not immediately discarded.

The mark employs a new version of the C, still in the traditional red and white. A two-color version, which includes a gray outline, is available as well. The mark also includes the team name “Dutch,” to help identify it for those less familiar with the college, particularly in new out-of-state markets the college is now aggressively pursuing.

One tie to the old University of Chicago C will remain as it will continue to appear on the Central football helmet, a tradition that goes back more than 70 years.

A new secondary version of the graphic identity features a Dutch lion icon. While not previously part of Central’s identity, it highlights a centuries-old connection. First appearing in the Netherlands in 1163, a lion design was adopted as part of the badge of the newly formed Dutch republic of Utrecht in 1579. The first king of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, William I, employed it as part of the new Netherlands coat of arms when he became king in 1815. It was revised by Queen Wilhelmina in 1907 and remains part of the national coat of arms today. Pella’s Dutch settlers helped found Central in 1853.

Bosack notes that most mascot heads in graphic identities face right, but Central’s lion faces left, mirroring the left-facing lion of the Netherlands coat of arms.

“We’ve never had something like this before as part of our identity and I give Joe a lot of credit for coming up with it,” Van Kley said. “It was a little unexpected when he presented it, but when we showed it to our coaches and student-athletes, they were really intrigued. We see it as something pretty unique to Central.”

Van Kley said it’s evidence of the depth of Bosack’s work on Central’s behalf.

“This isn’t just a cookie-cutter design,” he said. “Joe made two trips from Pennsylvania to our campus, talked to our students and staff, explored our community and studied Central’s history. This is a mark that truly speaks to our heritage.”

Van Kley thinks alumni, parents, fans and prospective students will like the new look.

“We didn’t want something trendy that was a major departure from what we’ve always used,” he said. “It’s solid, powerful and traditional, which are genuinely reflective of Central athletics.”

The designs work well with gear produced by Under Armour®, the college’s exclusive athletics apparel provider.  Under Armour® has already created some apparel with the new artwork that can be purchased through the college Spirit Shoppe in the Maytag Student Center and available online https://centralshoppe.com/. Central was the first Under Armour®-affiliated college or university in Iowa.

Central’s athletics program has captured 11 NCAA Division III team championships with 32 national individual titles, along with 75 top-10 national team finishes and 178 Iowa Conference crowns. Dutch student-athletes have earned all-America awards more than 425 times, receiving CoSIDA Academic All-America distinction 52 times and 22 NCAA postgraduate scholarship awards. More than 600 student-athletes compete in 19 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports.

Posted by on Jul 19 2017. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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