Catawba Athletics rebranding to launch April 26

[Son of Zardoz]

?http://gocatawbaindians.com/article.asp?articleID=10231

Hoping against hope that something decent comes out of this. Almost scared to say that it can't get any worse than things are now. The C with feathers is great along with the old Catawba wordmark (pretty standard looking serif font). I'd rather see something "classic" (well just old) that was done well being used over something new that's awful.





Then they came out with the abomination below that's being used now. I won't get started because I could literally go on for hours. Terrible on so many levels that I can't believe it was ever used.


At least it sounds like a name change isn't happening but the C with feathers is supposedly gone. If they are in fact getting rid of the C, they better have something flawlessly amazing to replace it and I don't even know what that could be. I'll just make my own gear moving forward with it, if I even bother.

[Inkblot]

Will they finally upgrade their website too?

[BEARS]

I hate this. IMO the Catawba logo is the classiest in the SAC.

[Son of Zardoz]

I would hope they finally update the website and I think that they are for sure. I just don't get how they think getting rid of the C with feathers is going to go well. I doubt this is anybody in athletics as some weren't happy with that last awful wordmark (pushed through by the last AD).

Again, I'm hoping what I'm hearing about it being gone is wrong but certainly seems from all indications that it will be gone. I guess they are banking on the younger crowd liking whatever they have to replace it but why not just try to reinterpret it by just updating its style a little bit?

All in all, it's just amazing to see how they have not taken branding seriously pretty much ever. That awful athletic wordmark has glaring technical flaws objectively, but subjectively looks like it was made for somebody's garage rock band or a semipro wrestling league that performs in elementary school gyms. I'm a professional in the field so not gonna hold back.

On top of that, there's the strange use of two very different blues. The academic side still uses a bright royal blue while athletics shifted over to a much darker navy blue over 20 years ago. During my time there though, virtually everything used the navy but now there's tons of stuff using the bright blue and it just looks like they are emptying closets of old stuff (even though it's new). They should fully switch over to the navy blue.

Not hard to tell that I'm passionate about this and it just breaks my heart that it's gone on for so long.

[ccmoney8]

Looks like they dropped feathers, dropped all words, and went with a simple block C. At least three different versions of it, from looking at their Twitter account. A Navy C with red stroke, a White C with red stroke, and a navy one with no stroke. It's about what I'd anticipated. Nothing too flashy, and PC as heck. Seems that's where all branding is moving.

https://twitter.com/CatawbaIndians/s...88401449517056

[Son of Zardoz]

Yup, they swung from being awful due to trying to be modern/futuristic but with terribly amateurish execution to awful because they tried to be classic while being completely devoid of personality.

They should have just tweaked the C with feathers' style and used a clean/retro block font with it.

[Inkblot]

Maybe they don't want people confusing their logo with Chowan's.

[Son of Zardoz]

I doubt that was ever a problem since Catawba has been using the C with feathers for decades. This is just new administration wanting to do their own thing. I wouldn't have a problem if it fit, but again, they've completely missed the mark.

[canadarican]

Good lord that's boring. Reminds me a bit of when UConn was using just the "C". Gosh that's awful.

[Eagle74]

Put a picture of a V8 motor on the side of the helmets.

[Son of Zardoz]

Yeah I'm about to probably burn my bridge but at this point it'll be worth it to try and have even the absolute slightest impact. So I have done some graphic work for the school, starting for the admin side during the peak of covid but the lady I was working with was let go. The person who took over that role didn't impress me (basically never acknowledged me) and so it kinda faded away.

Meanwhile, I still have friends on the athletics side and when they needed somebody to help with the new video scoreboard in the stadium--I did it. Created every single graphic there up until this spring. I hate that apparently, the admin doesn't have the best relationship with athletics (and from what I understand that's putting it mildly).

I'd love a chance to fix this (I'm a Catawba alum who played multiple sports, also got a design degree, been a designer for closing in on 20 years, created the Campbell University camel as a damn unpaid intern way back, etc) but honestly I don't care who does it as long as it's done right.

[Tech Boys]

There are subtle differences but this is what I saw.

(Cleveland Indians 2021)

[canadarican]

There are subtle differences but this is what I saw.

(Cleveland Indians 2021)

Now I can't unsee it. Wow.

[ironcheftvdinner]

The Citadel may have something to say about that.

[Son of Zardoz]

They literally took a free web font (any designer knows free web fonts are known for having absolute **** construction for the most part and this one is guilty as charged) and just shortened the C to make the new logo. I don't know if I've ever been so embarrassed for the school.

Octin College Bold

So the brand wasn't worth spending a single dime on. I feel sick.