New York Tech
CLIENTHigher Education, Athletics
INDUSTRYBranding, Art Direction for Team Uniforms and Merchandising
TACTICSNew York Institute of Technology is a highly distinguished University located in Old Westbury, New York. The University’s athletic department, NYIT, a member of the East Coast Conference competing in NCAA DII Athletics was in need of a brand update.The primary goals for the brand refresh were to represent the school’s vision of the future, paying homage to the university’s history, inspire engagement with the fans, athletes and alumni, while building a foundation that will continue to support the athletics program’s brand for years to come. Through fresh and relevant creative, custom typography and a fierce new mascot, New York Tech’s brand is ready to fill the stands, court and fields.
OBJECTIVE
LOGO REDESIGN: The existing brand identity was created in the 1990's and was described by the client as "dated" and "not memorable." A more modern approach was taken to re-energize New York Teck to help them stay relevant among its competitors, attract and recruit top talent and elicit excitement, school spirit and pride for current students, athletes, fans and alumni.
PRIMARY BRAND MARK: The mascot and custom typography were created together allowing them to interact and unify as one entity.
ALTERNATE OPTIONS: All word marks have multiple variations and options to continue the flexibility of NYIT's brand.
COLOR FLEXIBILITY: The new brand needed to be pliable for different sports, spirit wear, jerseys, practice attire and both away and home-game gear.
MODERN AND AGGRESSIVE: Rigid angles and modern lines give the mascot a confident and aggressive emotion but is balanced with fluid, soft and rounded curves.
CUSTOM TYPOGRAPHY: Thoughtful lettering and typography was 100% custom-made for NYIT's various word marks and lockups.
B-E AGGRESSIVE.
An extensive bear study took place to illustrate NYIT’s vision through a refined, modern and fierce new mascot. How aggressive? How refined? How sophisticated? How simplified? Profile or front-facing? Full body or face only? After thorough research and many styles explored, NYIT’s new mascot came to life while capturing the energy and vision of the school.
GO FOR GOLD (& NAVY)
Stepping away from the existing bright blue and yellow, NYIT re-introduced the program’s historical blue and gold colors which gave the athletics department a more confident, refined and established perception, hoping to recruit promising future athletes and students while paying homage to their colored past.
The staff at Sussner was nothing but exceptional. Our goal from the beginning was to create an identity that honored our past but yet projected to the future and was timeless in nature – simply put Sussner nailed it!
Daniel Vélez, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, New York Institute of Technology
“ ”
ART DIRECTION FOR UNIFORMS: Guidelines were implemented for the considerable roll-out of various new uniforms, merchandising, and practice gear for an assortment of diverse men's and women's sports. Through supportive typography, thoughtful color coordinations and consistent brand placement, NYIT's unified new look was sure to please the crowds.
WE GOT SPIRIT, YES WE DO.
Once the new brand identity was complete, an extensive brand style guide was created to help set the foundation for NYIT’s new look. The identity was applied to uniforms for all the men’s and women’s sports teams’ as well as various spirit wear, swag, merchandise and signage for all athletic fields and facilities. Go Bears!
The end product exceeded our expectations and our new brand has resonated with alumni, students, and fans.
Daniel Vélez, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation, New York Institute of Technology
“ ”
