UConn Branding

[Husky25]

I must partially retract my first example above about U of F. The gator is green in their logo. However that is in no way consistent with their school colors of Blue and Orange.

 

[HobokenHusky]

All of our recognition was tied up in that logo and is obviously not transferable to a new logo. Without it the UCONN name has no goodwill.

Where are you coming up with this stuff? Do you have any sort of evidence to back that up? I don't have any personally either, but the school, who spent a great deal of time on this, and any non-alum that I have talked to, completely disagree with both of these statements. We are UConn to a majority of the public. We are not Connecticut, and we are not a white fluffy husky dog.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Webster Bank just updated their billboard in I-84 to show debit cards with the new logo. I think it is a huge improvement over the old logo. Maybe not on its own, but when you see it in context of a shirt, a pair of shorts, or the new debit card. I think long term we are going to be very happy and in about 15 years we are going to look back at the fluffer and wonder what the hell happened.

 

[Husky25]

I think he was being facetious.

Where are you coming up with this stuff? Do you have any sort of evidence to back that up? I don't have any personally either, but the school, who spent a great deal of time on this, and any non-alum that I have talked to, completely disagree with both of these statements. We are UConn to a majority of the public. We are not Connecticut, and we are not a white fluffy husky dog.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Where are you coming up with this stuff? Do you have any sort of evidence to back that up? I don't have any personally either, but the school, who spent a great deal of time on this, and any non-alum that I have talked to, completely disagree with both of these statements. We are UConn to a majority of the public. We are not Connecticut, and we are not a white fluffy husky dog.

I get the feeling that my sarcasm was lost on you.

 

[HobokenHusky]

I get the feeling that my sarcasm was lost on you.

HAHA, yes, it was.

 

[CL82]

UConn branding:

Wait are we still using the block C?

 

[Dann]

UConn branding:

Wait are we still using the block C?

I would love to walk around the parking lots with that thing. Do you trust me to behave with it?

 

[CL82]

I would love to walk around the parking lots with that thing. Do you trust me to behave with it?

Dude, that's exactly what it for (kind of.) It's a steak branding iron. You could have one made with the Husky logo for tailgating meals.

 

[jdb50]

Just saw the scoreboard graphic after the Husky baseball win and the new dog with the UCONN name looks sharp. It is an improvement despite all the whining about the old fluffer.

 

[geordi]

Guys: just let them blabber about the old logo and the name and anything else they can think of that's negative. In two years, they won't be able to pick the fluffy, white samoyed out of a lineup and will be bitching about somebody on TV calling us 'Connecticut.' Something else will inhabit their contrary minds, and we'll be snapping at each other on the BY about another incompetence by the UConn administration.

 

[UConnDan97]

Guys: just let them blabber about the old logo and the name and anything else they can think of that's negative. In two years, they won't be able to pick the fluffy, white samoyed out of a lineup and will be bitching about somebody on TV calling us 'Connecticut.' Something else will inhabit their contrary minds, and we'll be snapping at each other on the BY about another incompetence by the UConn administration.

Yes. Because the ONLY reason that someone would have to not like the new logo is solely to be contrarian. Perhaps your desire to categorize people is the hobgoblin of little minds...

 

[hthusky74]

Guys: just let them blabber about the old logo and the name and anything else they can think of that's negative. In two years, they won't be able to pick the fluffy, white samoyed out of a lineup and will be bitching about somebody on TV calling us 'Connecticut.' Something else will inhabit their contrary minds, and we'll be snapping at each other on the BY about another incompetence by the UConn administration.

“Change, for change's sake, is a recipe for failure.”

 

[J187Money]

I think people are really overstating the brand equity we had with the old logo. Nobody who knows us in hoops will respect us less because if it as long as we keep performing. Most of the country doesn't even know or care we play FCS football. No actual UCONN fan is going to stop supporting the team due to a logo change. And Dan's comments about the 40 year olds (which I am one of)...I truly don't know what he is talking about. This is the only place I've ever had a discussion about the logo with anyone. In 25 years. Nobody really gives a .

I do like the logo. But mostly I like the unification of what I thought to be a very disjointed approach to branding and merch. I'm tired of going into the Co-op and seeing a bunch of seemingly random designs that don't compliment each other. I should be able to pick out any type of UCONN gear and have it match other UCONN gear. I hope that will be the case. We have probably 200 pieces of gear in the house and so much of it seems like it was created at random. So that's our brand equity? A white fluffy dog and then spin the wheel and see what you come up with?

The fact that you go to a football game or basketball game and you select 10 people at random and they all look like they are supporting 10 different schools doesn't bother anyone? Hopefully they will fix this. Then we will actually have a brand.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The entire concept of a unified brand is something that eventually would have been addressed, and should probably have been addressed a few years ago already. It seems that many have forgotten, that the entire divergent branding in football, basketball, etc. was a conscious effort made a little over a decade ago. I agreed with the concept then, and still think it was a good idea, for football to make an effort to establish their own identity and use the 'C' instead of the fluffy dog. In fact, we went through a couple of helmets, and designs, and had "Connecticut" on the front of the jerseys, etc......constant change in the uniforms,branding. I have an interlocking U/C hat from about 12 years ago, that was probably a one time production. Never seen it anywhere else.

It wasn't something that would have lasted forever. It probably (unified rebranding of the athletic department and therefore - greater - entire university) should have happened sooner than 2013. But as with many things, it takes a nudge from some external source to initiate big time projects that involve change, and the Big East conference, folding up shop - pretty much is what induced the change now.

Moving forward, the athletic department has a unified branding structure, and merchandising approach now. It's for the better, and I can't imagine that the school is going to suffer financially from the wave of merchandise that has been moved, and restocked in the past yearly quarter.

whether or not you like the new logo, or helmet designs, is a matter of opinion, and the people that get paid for their opinions, chose those designs. I think it's cool.

 

[mcs333]

Agree

 

[freescooter]

I don't know that a unifying theme was all that critical. In fact, I'd argue that there WAS a unifying element and it was the white Husky logo. Everyone recognized that as UConn. I think a few things could have been done to coordinate colors, everyone uses the same shade of blue for instance and everyone uses the same trim. either just white or a little red or a little grey, but I wouldn't go much beyond that. I wouldn't have the basketball team wear grey and pink-orange sometimes, or even grey. And you could do away with the various logos or not that doesn't matter that much. I'd also use the same lettering for everyone, but again, it doesn't matter and there isn't a single UConn fan base anyway. Heck there are basketball fans who hate the very idea that UConn even sponsors football. And its a sizable contingent. As well as mens basketball fans who still look at the "girls team" as a joke. Having everyone where the same uniform with the same logo isn't changing that. then of course there are the "eyeballs." Are we going to see those on other uniforms too? On the front of baseball helmets? I can surely see them showing up on hockey helmets (god help us) . How about on the back of the basketball jerseys...the front would be just too bizarre...For what its worth, I watched some college baseball this weekend and there was this team wearing uniforms that said "Connecticut" Anyone know who that was?

 

[Husky25]

...For what its worth, I watched some college baseball this weekend and there was this team wearing uniforms that said "Connecticut" Anyone know who that was?

IIRC, the uniform changes were introduced during the 2012-2013 athletic calendar in order to go into effect starting with the 2013-14 sports calendar.

It's much easier to implement a logo on a scoreboard, but it wouldn't make much logistical sense to change the spring sport uniforms mid season with only a few weeks left.

 

[Carl Spackler]

FWIW: I could be wrong, but one of the things that struck me right away about the new helmets, is that I didn't see a single image front side image of a player wearing the helmet, I've seen the back side (which I like the UCONN across the back) but every image I can find (and I just looked online again) has the top of the helmet cropped out (mostly yawin smallwood photos)

My guess, is that this has been done on purpose, and my hope, and true feeling, is that these helmets, while appearing awkward when viewed in somebody's hand, or sitting on a table - from the front, when a team is lined up and geared up, and wearing the hats, are probably pretty damn cool looking.

 

[Husky25]

Heck there are basketball fans who hate the very idea that UConn even sponsors football. And its a sizable contingent.

Yet without football, the basketball teams would suffer irreparable harm.

It is a fact that no Div. 1 school basketball program has won a basketball National Chapionship in 29 years ('Nova-Big East, 1985), while competing in a conference that does not also sponsor Div 1A football.

It is also a fact that no Div. 1 school has won a basketball National Chapionship and does not also sponsor Div 1A football in 15 years (UConn - 1999). These time frames are eerily similar for womens basketball (Old Dominion in the mid 80's).

Bottom line is that Div. 1 football means exposure as well as money (in many cases the football program is considered a loss leader, but very necessary nonetheless) and the more continuity a logo has across the athletic program, the more recognizable the other programs become.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Yet without football, the basketball teams would suffer irreparable harm.

It is a fact that no Div. 1 school basketball program has won a basketball National Chapionship in 29 years ('Nova-Big East, 1985), while competing in a conference that does not also sponsor Div 1A football.

It is also a fact that no Div. 1 school has won a basketball National Chapionship and does not also sponsor Div 1A football in 15 years (UConn - 1999). These time frames are eerily similar for womens basketball (Old Dominion in the mid 80's).

Bottom line is that Div. 1 football means exposure as well as money (in many cases the football program is considered a loss leader, but very necessary nonetheless) and the more continuity a logo has across the athletic program, the more recognizable the other programs become.

I appreciate the effort here, and facts are facts, there is no agreeing or disagreeing, they are facts, so I don't have to tell you whether or not a I agree or not.

All we can do is keep digging to get all those basketball people's heads out of the sand. Tricky work, because if you make one wrong move, and instead of showing them the light, you bash their skulls in.

 

[freescooter]

IIRC, the uniform changes were introduced during the 2012-2013 athletic calendar in order to go into effect starting with the 2013-14 sports calendar.

It's much easier to implement a logo on a scoreboard, but it wouldn't make much logistical sense to change the spring sport uniforms mid season with only a few weeks left.

Hogwash. In fact it would be a perfect opportunity going into the NCAA Tournament.

 

[freescooter]

I appreciate the effort here, and facts are facts, there is no agreeing or disagreeing, they are facts, so I don't have to tell you whether or not a I agree or not.

All we can do is keep digging to get all those basketball people's heads out of the sand. Tricky work, because if you make one wrong move, and instead of showing them the light, you bash their skulls in.

I agree with you and this is a point I have been making for a number of years. And UConn 1999 should probably have an asterisk since the 1999 football season just following was UConn's last in 1AA and it was already in the upgrade process.

 

[Husky25]

Hogwash. In fact it would be a perfect opportunity going into the NCAA Tournament.

Sure, had they been expected to even make the NCAA Tournament.

They went into the Big East Tournament in the middle of a funk and seeded 8th. There was zero probability an at-large bid was logically on the horizon.

FWIW, The new logo was prominant on the line score.

 

[Dann]

Fwiw baseball wise this past weekend, I thought warde did a good job overall. He used his wake connect who couldn't get us into the acc but was able to get us some practice time on his campus before the regional. Good looks there. Then he got the team and some fans the new logo gear and some #dmw stuff to go with it. That's solid big boy behavior. Getting Nike to quickly do stuff like that is important perception wise to the kids and viewers. Shows a level of importance in the rankings of who has the biggest ......the logo was in view when it could be so that was clearly mentioned and followed up upon by uconn all regional. The only thing I would have liked to have heard about was this. And maybe it did happen but I didn't get it as a non alum? But you have a regional vs vt, cc and ok. It's going to be on espn3. ESPN is going to be able to check the north east viewers ratings wise for uconn games. If we had some impressive numbers I think it would help our case to some small degree in the cr world. How did we not send every alum and sports fan basically every email we have possible as a school and tell everyone to get espn3 on if u can and watch or at least leave your lp up so we can get good ratings? I mean that was a golden chance to show out tv wise right? Then next time the acc is looking ESPN can say well uconn did this in baseball vs a acc team so I know u don't like them but were only paying for them because a baseball rating proves the rise tv overall for them blah blah. U get my drift. I think that may be a bit of missed chance but I'm not sure how much it could really be worth but it can't hurt right?