Hillsdale College Athletic Department unveils redesigned logo
From Hillsdale College
HILLSDALE — With the advent of another school year and the fall sports season upon us, the Hillsdale College athletic department is pleased to announce that its teams will have a fresh look this fall.
Over the past four years, stakeholders from across the Hillsdale College campus in Hillsdale, Michigan have been engaged in a refresh of the Chargers athletics brand, with the goal of bringing it into line with the top athletic department brands in the country in terms of consistency, unity and quality of design.
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Today, Monday, Aug. 8, Hillsdale is officially unveiling the results of this work and updating its branding with a new, more energetic logo, a consistent color scheme, new fonts and new partnerships with uniform and merchandise suppliers that help bring Chargers athletics to a new level.
Chief among the changes is a new, unified logo to replace the variety of logos used by different Chargers teams currently. The new logo has been designed in-house by Hillsdale College alumnus Bryan Springer and his team with input and support from departments across the campus, drawing on old traditions to create a vibrant and distinctive mark that differentiates our institution from others that share the Charger nickname.
The new logo hearkens back to the original description of a Chargers as a "fierce stallion" from the original announcement of its selection as Hillsdale's nickname in 1968. It not only recognizes past traditions all the way back to the original conception of the nickname but also incorporates the distinctive lightning bolt mark used by a variety of past Hillsdale athletic teams in its mane, paying homage to that tradition as well.
Along with the logo, the athletic department has also established a new, consistent color scheme of navy blue, gray and white that all its athletic teams will now wear, and designed an original and distinctive font type to be used with branded athletic gear as well.
"I could not be more pleased with the excellent work done in this rebranding process," Hillsdale College Director of Athletics Don Brubacher said. "Bryan Springer developed a beautiful primary logo, color scheme, and font that is a wonderful acknowledgement of Hillsdale College Charger tradition.
"Associate Athletic Director Josh Calver and Assistant Athletic Director Gwen Yarbrough have worked tirelessly to bring the details of this project together. We are excited to see our teams display the results of all these efforts on the fields and courts this fall."
In conjunction with its rebrand, the Hillsdale College athletic department has established two new athletic vendor partnerships. BSN SPORTS will serve as the official apparel and equipment provider for Charger athletic programs. Additionally, Ripon Athletic is now the provider of all team-competition uniforms.
The partnership with BSN SPORTS, which extends over the next three years, will debut across the Chargers' Athletic Program's 16 men's and women's teams competing within the Great Midwest Athletic Conference in the 2022-23 season. Hillsdale also will benefit from access to BSN SPORTS' line of custom campus branding products, expansive support teams, and BSN's online Hillsdale College team shop, which is already open for business. As a part of Hillsdale's deal with BSN, Under Armour will be Hillsdale College's main brand partner for apparel.
For game jerseys, Hillsdale is excited to be a collegiate partner with Ripon Athletic, which has earned a reputation for quality as a provider of game jerseys for the majority of NFL teams along with several other professional leagues around the country.
"We're excited to partner with BSN, one of the premier athletics apparel providers in the country, to help make it as easy as possible for our athletes, coaches and fans to get the apparel they need," Brubacher said. "In addition, our partnership with Ripon Athletic, an elite quality, American owned and operated uniform manufacturer allows us to design custom uniforms for every team that also are in line with Charger tradition."
Todd Northrop, Vice President of BSN SPORTS Collegiate Select Program, said, "This agreement between Hillsdale College, BSN SPORTS, and Under Armour will add tremendous value and dedicated support to the experience of the coaches, student athletes, and administrators involved with Hillsdale College Athletics. Our team is excited to provide the Chargers program with the best possible service, unparalleled access to sports equipment and premier apparel, and branding resources to continue growing Hillsdale College's prominent athletic brand and fanbase."
Pete Derleth, President of Ripon Athletic, said, "Our visit to the Hillsdale College campus reinforced why we are excited and proud to begin a relationship with a storied institution like Hillsdale College! We are grateful for this opportunity to provide Hillsdale Athletics authentic, performance based, Made in the USA, apparel developed to compete at the highest level. We are impressed with the people, passion and pride that is steeped in every part of Hillsdale College and appreciate their commitment to American manufacturing. It reminds us of who we are. Our focus is to work with them in way which promotes the success of Hillsdale College, it's programs and specifically the student athletes they serve for many years to come. Go Chargers!"
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Chargers debut new look, new logo from partnership with Ripon Athletic
