Utah State University rebrand

[knnhrvy16]

Hey guys!

It's been quite a long while since I've done any concepts, and with some down time today, I wanted to go ahead and show you guys a project I've slowly been working on. I apologize for the lack of a fancy presentation - the reason that is so is because both logos I am about to present to you are works-in-progress, one definetely moreso than the other. I just wanted to post them both so you guys could have an idea of where I was headed, and to get some feedback and C&C on my work.

First off, the intended primary.

The primary remains a bull, based loosely on the current primary bull logo. As you can see, there are still a few pixel problems (that may not be the best term for it, but I don't know what else to call it) that I am fully aware of and overall there are a few jagged parts of the logo here and there. I'm not sure where the pixel problems came from - they showed up after vectorization for some reason. I still wanted to post this anyways after some thought, to see if you guys liked the idea. So again, I am fully aware of some jaggedness and "pixel issues" - I am simply looking for feedback on the general idea here. This is the logo I was speaking of when referring to one logo being more in-progress than the other.

Here is the intended primary (picture is a little big - I had some trouble resizing it unfortunately, so I had to keep it as-is regarding size):

The alternate logo I am about to show you is based off of the logo worn on this helmet (worn from 1964-67, according to The Helmet Project):

I don't know why, but I really liked the idea behind it and thought I'd take a crack at modernizing it. I centered the "STATE" text, chose a more modern look for the wordmark (hand drawn and custom), and replaced the circle marking Logan's location for a more appealing star. I would intend for this to appear on the football helmet, as the logo which inspired this one did.

Here's the alternate:

So, what do you guys think? Good ideas? Bad?

C&C is much appreciated and encouraged, as always!

Thanks for viewing!

[north dakota]

I like that alternate logo, you should make uniforms too. The only problem with the primary logo is that the Bull looks like it has one eye.

[knnhrvy16]

Thanks for the comment, that's a great point you've made. I was wondering if that angle would look akward to that point.

Keep the C&C comin', friends!

[raysox]

I love that alt logo so much. I would just make the star regular, it looks squished horizontally.

[Spearhead]

Both are well done. I like the second because it harkens back to the Utags old 1960s helmet logo from the 1960s.

[JTernup]

The left ear, the lack of an eye and the white space on the bottom right are all holding the primary back IMO. The alt is nearly perfect I love it but I would make the star a little wider like ray sox said.

[knnhrvy16]

I appreciate all the help guys! Much appreciated! I'll get to work on fixing that star soon. I'm headed to bed and have church tommorrow, so the update might come about late tommorrow afternoon. In the meantime....

Here's a thought I want to run by you guys....it seems the alt is getting some good feedback, do you think it's strong enough to potentially be a primary logo? Just an idea I'm toying with. I like the thought of having the bull, but I'm mulling over whether or not to keep it the primary. I mean, I do intend the alt to be used on the football helmet, so there would be quite alot of focus upon it anyways. Just a thought

[CAB]

I'm seeing a possibility for a 'U' shape at the bottom of the alternate logo. I would try and play with that a little bit. Then I think it could most definitely work as a primary logo.

[knnhrvy16]

Hah! I found some extra time this morning (looks like we're not going to church today), so I updated the star on the "STATE" logo really quick, and also have created a new third logo that I'm calling a bit of an "experiment".

First off, the update:

How's the star, fellas? Any better?

And now, the third logo, which will need some explaination. Otherwise, it will look COMPLETELY out of place. I promise, however, that it really does fit (DustDevil or any other current/former USU student on the boards can back me up here! )!

A running tradition at USU is "The Scotsman". It is like a sort of alternate fight song, if that makes any sense:

Show me the Scotsman

who doesn't love the thistle,

show me the Englishman

who doesn't love the rose.

Show me the true-blooded Aggie from Utah

who doesn't love the spot

where the sagebrush grows!

I noticed that never in it's history has USU ever aknowledged "The Scotsman" with a logo or any sort of mark. Since it is such a strong tradition up there at USU, I wanted to take a crack at honoring that tradition. Now, one of my favorite all-time logos in Sports history is the Scottish Claymores logo. With inspiration from that, I used the "A" from the "STATE" wordmark in the alt logo (an "A" is a mark that USU uses VERY often), and placed a claymore through it, similar in style to that of the former Buffalo Sabres' "B" alt logo. Again, this is just a bit of an experiment to see what you guys would think (perhaps this changes the direction of my rebrand? Who knows?), but I thought it'd be cool to give "The Scotsman" some love.

Here it is:

What do you guys think? Yes? No?

C&C please!

[Chapeeko]

I would move the claymore up (or down) a little bit so it gets rid of that tiny sliver of white in the bottom left serif of the A. (If that makes any sense) Otherwise I think this looks very good and something they would use. Great job.

[CJworks]

That state mark looks really nice, I'd go as far as to go with that for the basis of the identity.

I can see that you're going for simplicity here, so if I may, I'd suggest a few changes in the sword:

-Get rid of the blue shapes in the corners of hilt, it doesn't really add anything.

-Try a solid-colored diamond in the middle part of the hilt, the shape looks weird.

-Move the sword down a bit to get rid of the white sliver, and to keep the basic form in the A.

Other than that, nice work!

[HawkeyHouse]

I really like the State logo. Looks sweet, amazing font. What is it?

[knnhrvy16]

I really like the State logo. Looks sweet, amazing font. What is it?

Thanks! Glad to hear you like it. It's actually not a font, the wordmark is completely hand-drawn. I couldn'nt find one that matched what I was looking for, so I decided to go ahead and take a crack at drawing it myself.

I'm glad to get such good feedback from you guys, it's very helpful. You're all great artists yourself, so I appreciate the pointers!

Anything else from anyone before I fix the third up a bit?

EDIT: Oh, forgot to ask. What do you guys think of an alternate football helmet (or two) featuring the claymore? And what about dropping the bull from the package?

[LetsGoOakland9]

I really like all three logos, but to me they don't go together.

[JSauer21]

The the top one is ok, but I really like the bottom one. It's pretty simple, but cool. Here's an attempt at a remake of Arizona State.

[north dakota]

I would completely eliminate the Bull.

[drdougfresh]

Welcome to the boards, JSauer. Just a friendly reminder, if you have concepts to post, create your own thread. Probably the fastest way to annoy someone is to post your own work in their thread for anything other than showing an example.

As far as your concept, knnhrvy, I like the 'STATE' logo, and the claymore logo most. I think you've got two different directions, like a fork in the road, if you will. Bull or claymore, and that STATE logo, I think you've got a solid look. I'm in the claymore boat as well, I prefer that to the bull. Nice work!

[OnWis97]

I am a big fan of the state outline logo, but when I first saw it, and for brief seconds sometimes still, I see Texas...I think that the upper-right "notch" (or whatever they may be called) is what does it to me. I think I'd like to see those little things may help that illusion.

[DCDuck]

I think I'd like the "A" logo more if it was upside down and read as "U". Sure, it completely changes the concept but I can't help but think it.

[knnhrvy16]

Thanks again guys! I've read every comment and appreciate the help.

I'm taken up with writing an English essay right now, so no updates as of yet. I hope you all don't mind a quick friendly bump in the meantime. Please feel free to keep the C&C coming!