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The University of Central Florida (UCF) recently updated their athletics logo with a new stylized knight. This comes at an opportune time for UCF as they are starting to become a major player in Conference USA. Designed by Rickabaugh Graphics, Inc. (consistent purveyors of sports logos), the new identity system is highly functional for all sports.
The old logo was a little ambiguous — a knight holding a jousting stick with amateur typography and a splash behind the knight — it all added up to a weak identity. Now the more aggressive looking knight and bolder typography make the identity come to life. The website, merchandise, playing fields, uniforms,… everything (including the cute favicon kinght!) now has an integrated feel and function. The new logo will be seen on merchandise and apparel which is available June 15… just before football season.
In the world of sports, logos tend to have some common attributes. First, they are usually two or three colors; second, they are either initials or a figure; and third, they are usually pointy. I know there are some logos that break these three attributes, but for what it’s worth these attributes are universal. UCF fits all three of these. Ultimately the logo works for UCF as it is a smaller school competing against the other big three Florida schools. There is now a direction and sense of empowerment for the athletics department.
For more information please read the press release.
Thanks to Gavin Hall for the tip.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
felix’s comment is:
excellent.
more than makes up for Rickabaugh's this poorly drawn Seton Hall Pirates logo i have to see every day.
nice work. they make it look easy.
On May.18.2007 at 10:33 AM
Paul Riehle’s comment is:
Its a decent change, nothing special, but I think they should use the "wordmark and character combo" as the full mark instead of the torso up knight. I think adding his torso is overkill and kinda add too much to the equation.
On May.18.2007 at 11:36 AM
Elanor’s comment is:
As a UCF student, I understand how the old logo didn't "live up" to the image they want to get across. Personally, though I think the new logos are ugly. The font is ok, but the character is just weird looking. He appears more like a tank than an actual knight, especially when only seen in the heads up view. I notice, however that his helmet looks very much like a football mask, which is perhaps what they were going for.
On May.18.2007 at 11:52 AM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
Felix is right when he says "Rickabaugh makes this look easy."
It's not easy doing an illustrative logo like this and getting it through a committee of people for approval without neutering the art is probably the hardest part.
I did a series of athletic logos / mascots for an Arizona school district and you had committee people arguing over how big or small I made the claws on a scorpion or asking "Why does the scorpion have teeth?" etc.
This is a huge improvement over the old and the fact it's so modular means it'll work on nearly any venue for marketing.
On May.18.2007 at 12:02 PM
gorckat’s comment is:
Wow- I really dig the eyes. Quite menacing.
I'm not sure I like the Wordmark/Character Combo- the way the 'F' obscures the knight just feels a little off to me. Knights aren't sneaky and that's what it looks like he's trying to be in that one.
On May.18.2007 at 12:04 PM
Tony Goff’s comment is:
Looks a lot tougher, certainly a lot more "athletic" then the old logo at least in terms of current design trends. Not bad.
On May.18.2007 at 12:05 PM
Splashman’s comment is:
I like it, including all the variations. Unlike Gorckat, I like the wordmark/character combo -- the F "obscuring" (?) the knight adds depth and interest. And yes, I'm glad they resisted the temptation to go with more colors.
Well done!
On May.18.2007 at 12:50 PM
Peter G.’s comment is:
Kind of reminds me of the Army sports logo with the gold & black and the knight. I have to say though, I'm a sucker for these kinds of logos. I like 'em all.
Azuma’s comment is:
A huge improvement!
On May.18.2007 at 01:07 PM
C-LO’s comment is:
I'm digging on this new artwork. It stands alone better then the old print, and has a more contemporary presence. Also seems that you can use it in a multiple of ways more then the previous logo AKA stationary, letters, banners etc. I would just do something a tad bit more with the square that holds the word knights. It just seems to "end". I even like how the bottom part of the sword comes over the letters. The old logo was great for 1984, this is great for 2007.
On May.18.2007 at 01:13 PM
C-LO’s comment is:
I'm digging on this new artwork. It stands alone better then the old print, and has a more contemporary presence. Also seems that you can use it in a multiple of ways more then the previous logo AKA stationary, letters, banners etc. I would just do something a tad bit more with the square that holds the word knights. It just seems to "end". I even like how the bottom part of the sword comes over the letters. The old logo was great for 1984, this is great for 2007.
On May.18.2007 at 01:14 PM
stock_illustration’s comment is:
Nice job...love the knight. The exaggerated points seem a bit much, though. I think they detract from an otherwise nice design.
On May.18.2007 at 01:15 PM
sfumato6’s comment is:
I like the boldness and the colors, but it still looks like a polished but still stiff and cliche version of something a 10-year old kid would draw on his notebook.
FWIW, I thought the overlapping F looked like the knight was taking himself hostage, ala Blazing Saddles. Or he's scratching his head "Hmmm...I swear I put that pike down somewhere around here"
On May.18.2007 at 01:41 PM
Andrew’s comment is:
I dig.
On May.18.2007 at 02:47 PM
Exigent’s comment is:
I actually think that the fuller-boddied knight is poorly executed. He looks like he has put on far more than the freshman 15 and needs to stear clear of the commons. Also in the same figure, the way in which the mascot holds that sword would strain any meer human... he must have double jointed wrists.
The style is superb for the subject and I feel the other branding marks look great!
They should take anatomy a bit more into account when doing human figures...
On May.18.2007 at 03:57 PM
Corey Cassaw’s comment is:
I like the logotype. He is definitely very skilled in that niche of logo design/illustration. Too bad his site is so poorly built.
On May.18.2007 at 05:24 PM
John Colucci’s comment is:
It looks good, but it looks very similar to the Rutgers logo...
Mark’s comment is:
niiiiiiiice
HUGE IMPROVEMENT!
This design is already growing on me!
I especially like what they did with the eyes sort of batman-esque.
On May.18.2007 at 06:29 PM
hyun’s comment is:
It's an improvement but why does every college sports logo have to be so formulaic? The designers are really good at what they do and there's a reason why they make it look so easy; they've done this sort of thing a million times. I know that this style is sort of traditional in college athletics but am I the only one who is tired of the this cliche style?
On May.18.2007 at 07:01 PM
Feldhouse’s comment is:
Hyun, I think you touch on a great topic here. Is this style cliché or does it happen to work & function for college athletics? How do you think these types of logos should be created?
There are a lot of psychological aspects we could touch on, too...
On May.18.2007 at 07:34 PM
Michelle French’s comment is:
OK, I have been unable to come up with a phonetic rendering of what I am thinking. The new one is an improvement. Thankfully they didn't add a swoosh.
On May.18.2007 at 11:25 PM
hyun’s comment is:
There are definitely psychological connections that are made with this approach and it would really be interesting to see how this style was established historically.
I'm not sure what a fresher approach would've been, I was just a bit surprised to see the amount of people who seemed to accept this style as sort of a given.
On May.19.2007 at 02:58 AM
Armin’s comment is:
As hyun points out, this new style of sports logo is a given. It's pointy, it's aggressive and it has implied dimension (much better than gradients). When critiquing sports logos, you have to accept that these qualities are the base for their execution. You kind of have to turn off that "layer" and assess the logo on its other qualities. In this case: The identity maintains the original's colors; it is a system and kit of parts that allows for variety and adaptability; it looks like a competitive set of teams; the knight illustration is nice and simple, with the least amount of details necessary to imply its knightness. All in all not a bad evolution.
Now, about Rickabaugh's URL (home.columbus.rr.com/rickabaughs/ ????): Yuck. It's 2007, get with the program.
On May.19.2007 at 10:01 AM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
This trend/style is hardly new. Unless you consider a decade plus as new? It was set into motion and established when the major sports teams within the NBA, NFL and MLB all started updating their identities.
If you had to historically point to a source for this coming about it would have to at least in part be credited to the likes of Nike who would in-house approach a pro sports owner, tell them that Nike would provide free jerseys etc. and as a bonus their 'Sports Graphics' division would re-brand them.
That started the look you still see now and that was then carried over into every area of sports be it minor leagues, college or pro.
Nike would always butt heads with various leagues own in-house art departments though, which demanded final say and then it would get political and they'd screw with Nikes design or just mess the whole process up. This eventually led to Nike disbanding the 'Sports Graphic' division yet the leagues kept playing off the established look and everyone followed suit.
The reason the style looks so similar on many levels is because there is only a handful of designers doing it all. The leagues even hire them to create the art. Rickabaugh is one of them.
I only know this because years ago (1996/1997) I worked on ideas for a new Dallas Mavericks mark but the league wouldn't let the team use Nikes direction which was a Pegasus, instead the league did their own lame girly looking horse head.
I know some may not like the style we are discussing and it's super easy to say "They should have tried something else." but this look is appropriate for this venue and it works very well for everything it needs to accomplish. Case in point...
Here is the Rockets old logo in the style we are discussing.
And the leagues current logo moving away from this style. Lame.
Danny Tanner’s comment is:
Nice knight illustration. Not a fan of the lettering. Crafted nicely. Highly expected.
On May.21.2007 at 03:52 AM
Bruce Burkhart’s comment is:
None shall pass!
On May.21.2007 at 11:34 AM
Jason DeFontes’s comment is:
"jousting stick" == lance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jousting
On May.21.2007 at 12:48 PM
felix’s comment is:
ditto that lame new Rockets logo.
I believe the old Rockets mark is a creation of Austin's own David Kampa, who, upon googling has apparently closed up shop. Sad. One thing for certain- Kampa was a big talent and one of Nike's chief go tos for these types of asignments.
Von is correct in his assumption. Nike intiated a lot of these designs- including The Dallas Burn, LA Galaxy and many other MLS upstarts. That was back in 92-94...
On May.21.2007 at 02:54 PM
Matthew Dunn’s comment is:
Sfumato6 and Exigent make excellent points. It is a slick and passable logo, but it is certainly not good for a Division 1A University effort.
It is probably the Athletic Dept's fault that the logo is a little cliche (who knows what other options they might have been presented with). However Rickabaugh is accountable for his poor proportion/anatomy, terribly inconsistent lighting, and general clunkiness.
On May.21.2007 at 03:41 PM
Anonymous’s comment is:
I like the new UCF logo. Very nice and appropriate for sports. The university I work for has a HORRIBLE sports logo and I am desperately trying to get them to let me do a new one. The current one is so deplorable. Maybe I'll post it up here someday!
On May.21.2007 at 03:45 PM
Frank’s comment is:
I like those 50's looking sports logos a lot.They have that retro charme about them, bold and strong - something that can't be said of most of nowadays gradient web 2.0 logos.
On a totally unrelated note:
I just got word that 4 of my logos will be featured in the Logolounge Volume 4 book - YEAH !!
I'm excited as a kid as this is the first major publication my work will be featured in; i haven't applied for publication in other books yet so it feels great to have been accepted on first try.
Plus, a good reason to hopefully complete my website and put the "award winning" stamp on it...;)
On May.21.2007 at 05:31 PM
Adam’s comment is:
Nitpicking detail: UCF is actually the largest undergrad university in Florida and second in total student population (after the U of Fla.), not a "small school trying to compete" as it is described here.
On May.21.2007 at 06:38 PM
Paul Ducco’s comment is:
I don't mind it by yeah the proportions are wacky!
congrats Frank. you're not alone in that publication ;)
On May.21.2007 at 09:45 PM
Feldhouse’s comment is:
Adam – In terms of sports, yes, they fall under the big 3. Remember the context of the post is relating to athletics. If you look at the recruiting in the state of Florida, the big 3 take all the recruits. UCF has to fight for its recruits and hopefully this new identity will make it easier for them to appeal to the kids coming in.
On May.21.2007 at 10:46 PM
Kula bácsi’s comment is:
This logo is retarded. Although probably it matches the IQ of the jocks play there nicely.
On May.22.2007 at 05:49 AM
g-sppud’s comment is:
Nice comment Kula. Don't give any reasons about why you don't think it works. Nice attack on the athletes as well - maybe you should focus your anger somewhere else.
I enjoy this forum for the frank discussion of the aspects of design, and how they are used throughout the many different environments of our society.
I think the new logo is unquestionably an improvement on the old one. The variations seem to have been well thought out, being highly adaptable to the various uses. Well done.
On May.22.2007 at 12:06 PM
Yael Miller’s comment is:
Von - thanks for the lucid background info on this genre of logo design.
I like Rickbaugh's work. The UCF logo update is effective because it's stronger and simpler than the old one, and the colors help differentiate it from the others. The heavier use of black is a definite help.
And, Rutger's logo would never be confused for the UCF logo.
On May.22.2007 at 12:56 PM
hyun’s comment is:
Von G:
It's all matter of taste but I actually like the new Rockets logo better. The new one actually has a concept instead of just tacky 3-d effects. Some may call it cheesy, but I think it does a great job of looking a bit retro and fresh at the same time when every other team in America are simply bringing back their 60's jerseys just to be hip. Their corresponding uniforms are way ahead of the game in terms of taste compared to most other teams imo. I commend them for trying something that went againt the grain with the flat and classier direction.
I also like what Nike(?) has done with Washington State's Husky symbol as well as Syracuse's interlocking typogrpahy. Although it's not the best execution, I think the stylistic approach with Syracuse does a great job keeping with tradition (interlock) without the extra baggage (3-d, outlines).
Just my humble opinion.
On May.22.2007 at 08:14 PM
Kevin M. Scarbrough’s comment is:
Three criticisms from a youth misspent on D&D that turned into a (brief) love affair with arms and armor:
- The armor is built oddly. The top plate over the bicep shouldn't be articulated, you can't bend your arm up there. Unless that is a reinforcing plate? Odd.
- Is that a cape or a shadow?
- The sword is WAY too short to be held in two hands.
On May.23.2007 at 02:47 AM
Mike S.’s comment is:
I agree with Felix, it's a really good evolution of the old logo.
Also, it's very scalable and really speaks to merchandising the branding across t shirts, jerseys and other items.Well done.
Greg Scraper’s comment is:
Being a transplant in the area (Orlando), one of the things that struck me when I got down here was the ubiquity of the UCF logo, but I don't recognize either of these (not to put down Armin's sleuthing skills, I'm sure it's just the logo for the sports teams).
The logo that I associate with UCF is what they call "the pegasus."
It's a far cleaner, simpler logo, even if it has nothing to do with knights or gold really (kind of how the Miami Hurricanes are represented by some sort of pelican). It's especially nice set in a circle.
Whatever, most everybody down here roots for the Gators anyway.
On May.23.2007 at 02:44 PM
HIbryd’s comment is:
Rockets logo versus the B in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Just sayin'.
On May.24.2007 at 11:41 PM
Drew’s comment is:
Ehh . . .
I really like the helmet design but the full torso characters looks extremely awkward - like an old, old 60's comic book illustration.
I think it could have been executed better had they made it more fluid and less chunky looking.
I realize that people in real armor move a lot less fluidly than they do in movies but it's a graphic respresentation . . . make it nice looking.
jharr’s comment is:
2 words for the full torso mark - batter up. Not a very 'knightly' stance, unless the king's court is down by 2 in the eighth.
Regardless this is a big step into major league division 1 game for UCF, and it certainly matches the investment being made in facilities, media, etc. Nice to see them have an identity that plays well with their competitors and certainly works well on ESPN, etc.
On Jun.04.2007 at 04:18 PM
Simon’s comment is:
What an awesome logo...
Maybe some can do somethings with the canes logo
Mike’s comment is:
Few notes:
The bird that represents the Hurricanes is an Ibis. They are the last birds to fly to shore when a hurricane is approaching.
The pegasus is UCF's academic logo. It is fully named the "knights of pegasus" and that is how it relates to the Knight.
On Jun.07.2007 at 11:26 AM
RickyRegs’s comment is:
The logo is an improvement.
A few facts:
-UCF is the 6th largest university in the nation.
-According to US News: UCF is the 60th best education for your $ in America.
-UCF will open brand new football stadium; as well as basketball arena and sports complex. Which includes high rise dorms, retail (including several restaurants and a Ron Jon Surf Shop), as well as a new Psychology Building and an Engineering III building. All are set to open in the fall of 2007.
-UCF will face Texas on Sept. 15 in the new Brighthouse Networks Stadium, at 3:30PM.
-UCF; remember it.
On Jun.12.2007 at 06:42 PM
RickyRegs’s comment is:
The logo is an improvement.
A few facts:
-UCF is the 6th largest university in the nation.
-According to US News: UCF is the 60th best education for your $ in America.
-UCF will open brand new football stadium; as well as basketball arena and sports complex. Which includes high rise dorms, retail (including several restaurants and a Ron Jon Surf Shop), as well as a new Psychology Building and an Engineering III building. All are set to open in the fall of 2007.
-UCF will face Texas on Sept. 15 in the new Brighthouse Networks Stadium, at 3:30PM.
-UCF; remember it.
On Jun.12.2007 at 06:42 PM
RickyRegs’s comment is:
(sorry for re:post)
ALSO:
-UCF is the ONLY university in the state of Florida with an indoor practice (football) facility.
- UCF is in ORLANDO; the others (big 3) are either private or in gainesville or tallahassee
- These factors will ALL lead to UCF getting better recruits. Add a more attractive / appealing logo; UCF will be near the top sooner than later.
Also, I'm not a UCF fan, i closely follow recruiting; It's my job.
On Jun.12.2007 at 06:45 PM
Nickolas Boutwell’s comment is:
This one makes sence "One's first step in wisdom is to kuesstion everything - and one's last is to come to terms with everything."
On Jun.14.2007 at 05:13 AM
Mark’s comment is:
I really like the secondary wordmark, very iconic.
On Jun.15.2007 at 11:31 AM
Dave’s comment is:
Interesting conversation here. I like this better than it's predecessor, there's some muscle behind this that the old one didn't have.
- However -
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this yet:
The Army Black Knights logo:
I know they aren't identical by any means, but still, the similarity is undeniable. In my opinion the UCF logo is better balanced, the Army logo has a gaping space to the right of the A that should either have something going on (because the sword points you to it) or not be there. OTOH, the cape gives the Army logo a certain sense of mystery or regal-ity that UCF lacks. I get more of a blunt force feel from it. Not that it's likely either will change any time soon.
As for the Rockets logo, I think this is an excellent mark. If you look at the discussion of the Naturals logo, it's definitely going to a simpler style like the New York teams, Cubs, etc., perhaps slicker than those, but along those lines. I would also argue that the Rockets are one of a very few where a swoosh/orbit is actually a good and valid idea. Now, if the orbit is supposed to create the H for Houston then it's horrible, but I don't think that's the case here.
But that's just me...
Dave
On Jun.19.2007 at 09:55 PM
DjPic’s comment is:
Just to let you know....the article says that ucf is a smaller school. Not sure what you meant there, but UCF is one of the largest universities in the country. It is larger than FSU.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_United_States_universities_by_enrollment
It is number seven. Just FYI.
On Jun.21.2007 at 09:57 AM
Ashton Moffat’s comment is:
060199923687b8c18bccfe5300f818dc
On Jun.28.2007 at 10:35 AM
Emmanuel Kibler’s comment is:
The new logo is the newest and strongest in the state of Florida.......
Go knights
On Sep.12.2007 at 01:14 AM
oOiGYcnALSDGhE’s comment is:
swJuM0
On Dec.29.2008 at 05:13 PM
IrpVQvORMv’s comment is:
hNSoGX
On Dec.29.2008 at 06:43 PM
Comments in Brand New, V1.0 have been closed.
