News - 07/15/2003

NCAA - University of South Florida

U. of South Florida Unveils New Athletic Logos

USF Unveils New Athletic Logos; Prepares to Launch New Identity Program

U. of South Florida TAMPA, Fla. (July 15, 2003) – The University of South Florida today unveiled new athletics logos that will serve as the centerpiece for an aggressive, fresh identity program. The brand identity program includes a primary mark, a primary and secondary word mark as well as an alternate logo and is the culmination of an 18-month-long process.

The identity program, which officially will be launched August 6, will bring USF athletics’ graphic identity in step with the dramatic growth and progress of its athletic department. It accompanies the construction of an $18 million athletics facility as well as the retention and recruitment of top coaches while building upon the strengths of USF’s teams and student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom.

"This new branding program helps us tell USF’s remarkable success story," said USF Director of Athletics Lee Roy Selmon. "At the same time, it allows us the flexibility to build a long-term branding strategy that reflects a growing and diverse university and athletic department."

USF President Judy Genshaft agreed.

"Lee Roy Selmon deserves a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished," she said. "These logos are one more step toward building a nationally-recognized athletics program. They are an indication of how USF is moving forward in every aspect of the university. These logos are dynamic and action-oriented, and that’s what USF is all about."

The August 6 launch will feature new team uniforms and the largest line of merchandise in the athletic program’s history. USF’s primary logo will be what the university terms an "iconic bull," which will appear on team helmets, hats and jerseys. The iconic bull also appears in the primary word mark, "USF," and the secondary word mark, "Bulls." A new bull head will serve as the secondary logo.

"I’m extremely excited about our new marks and also very proud of our team’s effort used in creating these marks," said Selmon. "This process was long and involved and allowed us to create marks that were developed from many different viewpoints including our fans, students and particularly some of the top professionals in the industry."

The new logos were chosen after a process of examining more than 100 potential designs submitted from both internal and external sources. The process included input from focus groups comprised of a variety of USF athletics constituencies including students, fans, boosters, marketing professionals, marketing partners and vendors.

The chosen logos and word marks were designed by the Silverman Group, a full-service strategic brand development agency in New Haven, Conn. Silverman Group’s clients include the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, World Cup Soccer, Women’s World Cup and the United States Tennis Association.

"Developing a new athletic identity system for a university can be a daunting task," says Marc Jacobson, Vice President of Silverman Group. "There are many constituents the new system needs to satisfy. However, the staff of professionals at USF was focused on the University’s core brand essence and was committed to creating a dynamic new program that embraces a growing and changing university.

"I feel strongly that the new athletic identity system will be embraced by the entire USF community – students, student-athletes, faculty and alumni alike," continued Jacobson. "The new system continues to show the University’s commitment to elevate its academic and athletic programs. I think the new program provides USF with a strong platform and will prove to be timeless for years to come."

Additionally, USF announced today that it has entered into a partnership with Collegiate Licensing Company, the nation’s leading collegiate licensing and marketing representative. While the partnership offers USF a number of marketing advantages, it provides the impetus for USF to offer a wider variety and broader availability of USF merchandise.

"Our partnership with CLC, in combination with our new logo, gives us new-found power in the marketplace to ensure satisfaction for our fans," Selmon said.

The new athletics logo also comes on the heels of the May 22 unveiling of new university logos that have a stronger, more sophisticated look. The athletics logos incorporate the university logos’ new color scheme, which features a slightly darker green and shifts from the previous yellow to a gold hue.