Central Connecticut Athletics Unveils New Brand on Wednesday Afternoon
Photo Gallery
Video
View New
Logos
A new era has begun for the Central Connecticut State University
Department of Athletics. On Wednesday the Blue Devils
launched a new branding initiative, highlighted by 11 unique marks,
a new Blue Devil mascot and a custom font developed for the
department.
“It is a very exciting day because I believe this is a
critical step in not only honoring our rich athletics tradition and
our history of success, but reestablishing and defining who we are
and who we aspire to be; the premier program in the Northeast
Conference,” Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann said.
"The visible results are a representation of the department's
core values, competitiveness, pride and passion. A very
powerful but less visible aspect of this effort is the unifying and
galvanizing impact that this logo will have on the spirit, pride
and identity amongst all members of the CCSU athletics and
university family, including our student-athletes, student body,
faculty and staff, alumni and our fans."
The process began over a year ago. The new logo and font
were designed and developed by Rickabaugh Graphics, an Ohio based
company with extensive experience in collegiate athletics
branding. Rickabaugh used input from many members of the
campus community to create an array of potential designs, while
also ensuring that CCSU’s new brand was unique.
“When I first arrived at CCSU a number of months ago, it was
quickly apparent that everyone on campus had tremendous pride for
their university. In addition, the athletic programs boasted a rich
history and a future full of great promise,” said Eric
Rickabaugh, owner and creative director at Rickabaugh
Graphics. “The Rickabaugh Graphics staff realized that
the new look for CCSU athletics must portray that same pride,
history and promise. There needed to be a new athletics brand that
matched the quality of athletics that were part of the Blue Devil
legacy and future. This was a careful and conscientious
undertaking and as a result, the final athletics brand is without a
doubt one of the best we have created. Everyone at Rickabaugh
Graphics is thrilled to have been a part of creating the new
athletic identity for the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. We
are tremendously proud of the resulting designs”
Following the initial stages of development, Rickabaugh held focus
groups to gather feedback and information on a few potential
concepts. The groups included CCSU student-athletes, coaches,
alumni, fans, and members of the CCSU campus community. The
information gathered through these sessions was used to put the
final touches on the new Blue Devil.
“This was an inclusive process that touched an extensive
cross section of people in the athletics family and the campus
community. We thank everyone for their feedback and input
along the way,” Schlickmann said. “This
collective effort has created a bold logo and design of which we
can all be proud. It's a great day to be a Blue
Devil.”
The new logos include 11 total marks that can be used in full
color (blue, white and a new gray) or in classic CCSU blue and
white. CCSU teams will start wearing the new logos this fall
on practice gear and uniforms. Perhaps the most visible
change in the fall will be the football helmets. The block CC
has been replaced by a new CC logo utilizing a pitchfork, and the
helmet color has been changed to match CCSU’s official royal
blue. CCSU’s basketball and volleyball court inside
Detrick Gymnasium has been repainted with the new logo at center
court ith the new font around the perimeter. The center of
the football field will undergo a similar make-over.
“We’ve taken early steps in getting this new brand
and logo entrenched in our building and current facilities,”
Schlickmann said. “We will continue to utilize the new
marks in moving the department forward in the next several
years.”
The new brand and logo aren’t the only changes for the Blue
Devils on Wednesday. It also marked the launch of a new
website. The address remains the same, but the new font and
logo will be featured prominently on the new page.
Working with Presto Sports, the Blue Devils launched the all-new
CCSUBlueDevils.com. The site features an entirely new design
and look, and will feature live audio and video streamed through a
partnership with the Pack Network. Pack Network is one of the
industry leaders in audio and video streaming, and has been a
partner with the NEC for the past several seasons.
The new website will also feature a mobile version of
CCSUBlueDevils.com for smart phones and tablets. Fans can
create an icon on their phones or tables to link directly to the
mobile site to receive all the latest news, notes and scores for
the Blue Devils.
“Our partnership with Presto Sports is another positive,
critical step in promoting our program and our new brand
identity,” Schlickmann said. “Along with our new
relationship with the Pack Network, our fans will now be able to
follow our teams online and on their mobile devices with
ease.”
Along with the new Blue Devil marks, CCSU unveiled the new Blue
Devil mascot, designed by Rickabaugh Graphics and created by Street
Characters, the premier mascot development company in North
America. The new Blue Devil, however, is without a
name. Fans will have the ability, both on CCSUBlueDevils.com,
and on Facebook, to pick the name mascot’s name in the next
two weeks. If a student of CCSU chooses the name, the
bookstore will provide free books for a year to that student.
If the winner is a non-student, the bookstore will provide a $100
gift card, and the winner will also receive a pair of season
tickets to both football and basketball for the 2011-12, as well as
a Blue Devil prize. The winning name and entry will be
announced at the football home opener on Sept. 3 vs. Southern
Connecticut at 12 noon.
The CCSU Bookstore now features new merchandise with the new brand
and logo for immediate sale, both in the store and online (coming
soon).