4/30/2021 8:49:00 AM | General
The USC Upstate Athletic Department has released a new Brand Standard Guide and made updates to the pallet of marks used by the department's 15 programs.Â
The Guide is the first standardization of all marks employed by the department into one document in the department's history. In addition, a new set of branding within business system documents is also included and will be phased in over the coming months.
The Guide was a collaboration between the athletic department, the University office of Communications and Marketing and Studio Upstate, part of a student-led graphic design firm.
"One of the primary functions of the role that my position plays is raising brand awareness for our department and translating that brand recognition into dividends down the road. In evaluating our marks over the past 18 months and observing how they are used and in consultation with constituents around campus, it was clear that we need to make some changes to strengthen our brand recognition moving forward." said senior associate athletic director for external operations, Lenny Mathis. "Thanks to the great work of Studio Upstate we are able to put these concepts together in one place and give everyone a chance to be unified in one cohesive look in the future."
Notable changes
Effective immediately, USC Upstate athletics will exclusively use the "U-Upstate" mark as its primary athletics mark.  Thus, the "U-Spartans" mark is discontinued.
Since the University's name change in 2004, and subsequent nickname change from Rifles to Spartans, the nearly identical U-Upstate and U-Spartans marks have been used almost interchangeably as primary marks. More recently, the U-Upstate mark has taken a lead role, notably as the centerpiece of the redesigned basketball court at inside the Hodge Center, but officially the two marks were sharing top-billing – until now.Â
"It is very hard to have true brand identity, when the primary mark is split between two almost identical designs. You can see how conflicting the two marks are almost daily just looking at coverage from various websites and social media. While internally we have used the U-Upstate far more in the last few years, from a media, licensing and merchandise standpoint, the U-Spartans mark was still available. Because the two marks are so similar, that lends itself to confusion. We will move forward with one mark and that is U-Upstate first."Â
The U-Spartans mark will be phased out of merchandise circulation as well as apparel for teams over the course of the next year. Athletic staff has already started the work of phasing out the U-Spartans mark with media outlets with the goal will be only one brand mark is depicted by the start of the 2021-22 athletic year.
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The Spartan helmet will remain as the department's secondary mark, but to increase brand recognition outside the region, the helmet will be locked up with the Upstate wordmark as depicted on pages 11 and 12 of the Guide. The helmet has always been a prominent part of the athletic brand – showcased on videoboards inside the Hodge Center and at Cyrill Softball Stadium and County University Soccer Stadium. Now, the mark will be strengthened when depicted or worn by marrying it with the Upstate wordmark to avoid brand confusion.
A complete new set of tertiary marks for each USC Upstate athletic program has been created to include the U-Upstate primary mark and the Spartan helmet secondary mark. This set of tertiary marks replaces the "U-Sport" design that previously removed the "Upstate" or "Spartans" wordmark from the primary logo and replaced it with the name of an individual sport.
The new set of tertiary marks employs a more standard look while allowing flexibility for teams to work with four designs that feature "Upstate" prominently.  The only surviving variation of the previous "U-Sport" design is that of the U-Club, the fundraising arm of the athletic department.
Each year, several Upstate programs host theme games to raise awareness for various causes including breast cancer awareness, ovarian cancer and childhood or pediatric cancer. All of these special marks will be used in conjunction with events co-branded as "Fight Like a Spartan."
The Pink U-Upstate will be utilized for events that raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. For the past two years, the Spartans men's and women's basketball programs have partnered with Ingles and the Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute to make a donation for every three point shot made by both teams.
The Teal U-Upstate will be employed for events raising awareness in the fight against childhood/pediatric cancer, a cause that has long been close to the Spartan softball program. Upstate volleyball and other programs will employ the teal U-Upstate as they raise awareness in the fight against ovarian cancer as well.
Lastly, the Red, White and Blue U-Upstate will be used during special occasions throughout the year including Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day. Â The USC Upstate campus is home to offices for the South Carolina Army National Guard.
A refreshed business system suite including business cards, letterhead, email signatures and more will be phased in over the coming months as well.
"I cannot express my appreciation enough to Bridget Kirkland, the faculty advisor for Studio Upstate who worked with us on this project closely. Also, two students within Studio Upstate worked tirelessly on this important endeavor and I want to express my gratitude to each of them for their fine work. Thank you Jarred Bradley '22 and Larissa Sands '21 for taking this project from concept to creation," said Mathis.
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#SpartanArmy | #JoinUP
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The Guide is the first standardization of all marks employed by the department into one document in the department's history. In addition, a new set of branding within business system documents is also included and will be phased in over the coming months.
The Guide was a collaboration between the athletic department, the University office of Communications and Marketing and Studio Upstate, part of a student-led graphic design firm.
"One of the primary functions of the role that my position plays is raising brand awareness for our department and translating that brand recognition into dividends down the road. In evaluating our marks over the past 18 months and observing how they are used and in consultation with constituents around campus, it was clear that we need to make some changes to strengthen our brand recognition moving forward." said senior associate athletic director for external operations, Lenny Mathis. "Thanks to the great work of Studio Upstate we are able to put these concepts together in one place and give everyone a chance to be unified in one cohesive look in the future."
Notable changes
Effective immediately, USC Upstate athletics will exclusively use the "U-Upstate" mark as its primary athletics mark.  Thus, the "U-Spartans" mark is discontinued.
Since the University's name change in 2004, and subsequent nickname change from Rifles to Spartans, the nearly identical U-Upstate and U-Spartans marks have been used almost interchangeably as primary marks. More recently, the U-Upstate mark has taken a lead role, notably as the centerpiece of the redesigned basketball court at inside the Hodge Center, but officially the two marks were sharing top-billing – until now.Â
"It is very hard to have true brand identity, when the primary mark is split between two almost identical designs. You can see how conflicting the two marks are almost daily just looking at coverage from various websites and social media. While internally we have used the U-Upstate far more in the last few years, from a media, licensing and merchandise standpoint, the U-Spartans mark was still available. Because the two marks are so similar, that lends itself to confusion. We will move forward with one mark and that is U-Upstate first."Â
The U-Spartans mark will be phased out of merchandise circulation as well as apparel for teams over the course of the next year. Athletic staff has already started the work of phasing out the U-Spartans mark with media outlets with the goal will be only one brand mark is depicted by the start of the 2021-22 athletic year.
Â
The Spartan helmet will remain as the department's secondary mark, but to increase brand recognition outside the region, the helmet will be locked up with the Upstate wordmark as depicted on pages 11 and 12 of the Guide. The helmet has always been a prominent part of the athletic brand – showcased on videoboards inside the Hodge Center and at Cyrill Softball Stadium and County University Soccer Stadium. Now, the mark will be strengthened when depicted or worn by marrying it with the Upstate wordmark to avoid brand confusion.
A complete new set of tertiary marks for each USC Upstate athletic program has been created to include the U-Upstate primary mark and the Spartan helmet secondary mark. This set of tertiary marks replaces the "U-Sport" design that previously removed the "Upstate" or "Spartans" wordmark from the primary logo and replaced it with the name of an individual sport.
The new set of tertiary marks employs a more standard look while allowing flexibility for teams to work with four designs that feature "Upstate" prominently.  The only surviving variation of the previous "U-Sport" design is that of the U-Club, the fundraising arm of the athletic department.
Each year, several Upstate programs host theme games to raise awareness for various causes including breast cancer awareness, ovarian cancer and childhood or pediatric cancer. All of these special marks will be used in conjunction with events co-branded as "Fight Like a Spartan."
The Pink U-Upstate will be utilized for events that raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. For the past two years, the Spartans men's and women's basketball programs have partnered with Ingles and the Gibbs Cancer Center and Research Institute to make a donation for every three point shot made by both teams.
The Teal U-Upstate will be employed for events raising awareness in the fight against childhood/pediatric cancer, a cause that has long been close to the Spartan softball program. Upstate volleyball and other programs will employ the teal U-Upstate as they raise awareness in the fight against ovarian cancer as well.
Lastly, the Red, White and Blue U-Upstate will be used during special occasions throughout the year including Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day. Â The USC Upstate campus is home to offices for the South Carolina Army National Guard.
A refreshed business system suite including business cards, letterhead, email signatures and more will be phased in over the coming months as well.
"I cannot express my appreciation enough to Bridget Kirkland, the faculty advisor for Studio Upstate who worked with us on this project closely. Also, two students within Studio Upstate worked tirelessly on this important endeavor and I want to express my gratitude to each of them for their fine work. Thank you Jarred Bradley '22 and Larissa Sands '21 for taking this project from concept to creation," said Mathis.
Â
#SpartanArmy | #JoinUP
Â
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