SU Athletics unveils new logo identityMay 11, 2004Sue Cornelius Edsonsedson@syr.edu
Syracuse University has adopted a new athletics logo for all of its athletics teams. The new look is the result of a collaborative effort between the University and NIKE, SU’s official athletics apparel partner. All 21 of SU’s athletics teams will utilize the new mark — an interlocking SU — and the official orange color on uniforms and warm-ups and in print and electronic venues. Previously the department had multiple marks and logos. In addition, Syracuse University’s teams will now use the nickname Orange, replacing Orangemen and Orangewomen.
“We are pleased to be moving forward as the Orange,” said SU Director of Athletics Jake Crouthamel. “We are unique in that we are the only college or university to have orange as its official color. This new look will showcase that.”
Syracuse is the fifth school to work with NIKE in its identity redesign program. The interlocking SU is designed with a more aggressive angular and aesthetic appearance, depicting speed and a competitive edge. This logo was the result of research conducted during the past two years.
“The goal of the project is to create a very clean, refined and unique identity that by design fuses elements of the past with the aesthetic values of the future,” said Christopher McClure, creative director for Nike Team Sports. “We want to respect the past and represent the future.”
The new logo will give SU a single identity and will incorporate a consistent color palette, using a brighter orange than the current version, and a dark blue as the accent color.
“We appreciate the fact that NIKE chose SU as one of its select group of schools with which to work on this project,” Crouthamel said. “We have enjoyed our relationship with NIKE for the past seven years and look forward to our continued work with them.”
The research included discussion of the University’s identity, history and traditions, assessment of how the University is positioning itself, and how to maintain the current tradition and values of the University.
In addition to use by Orange teams, the new mark will appear on numerous apparel and novelty items.
Previously NIKE worked with the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, the University of Miami and the University of Kentucky.
