The HBCU Project

[StarsHockey]

WOW (**) (**) (**)

Wow, the one and only "6 star" I've awarded.

[HarperK]

im going to chime in again, just cause i love this. Its not the actual design thats anything special, its just the great taste and the sharpness and cleanliness of a COMPLETE and THOROUGH concept. Is it possible for my eyes to orgasm? Because i think they just did. more than once.

[leggman01]

im going to chime in again, just cause i love this. Its not the actual design thats anything special, its just the great taste and the sharpness and cleanliness of a COMPLETE and THOROUGH concept. Is it possible for my eyes to orgasm? Because i think they just did. more than once.

multiple eyegasms, eh...the ladies on the board should be impressed

[sacker12]

Those look really nice. I don't know if Alabama State is on your to do list, but I am eager to see it if ever you get around to it.

[tBBP]

Those look really nice. I don't know if Alabama State is on your to do list, but I am eager to see it if ever you get around to it.

It's right underneath the one that's up now. Don't know when I'll get around to actually showing it, but it's in the works now.

[eRay]

I am amazed, mesmerized, taken aback, jealous, blown away, anticipating more like this, working on my own presentation templates as we speak so I don't look so bad, and agreeing with everyone else.

Great work on the overall presentation, and I like the jerseys too. The white on white (both road and throwback) are beautiful, especially with that white helmet. Thats how a football team is supposed to look. Very well done, and keep it up with the rest of these.

[omnivore]

Great execution, thoughtful project and well done on all levels. I'll be tuning in for sure.

[HarperK]

eagerly anticipating pt2!

[averyj]

Always fantastic.

But what else is new? haha

Oh, oh we want Morehouse! Morehouse!

[LEWJ]

Beautiful!

No gripes, although I think the white sox would go better with the white pants/jersey combo.

I think the socks should always match the jersey.

A+

Can't wait for the next set!

[twi]

Wow. The only (and I mean only) thing that could make this better is a kicker in the 'action shot' template.

[tBBP]

Interesting that several people decided to comment on this today, thus "bumping" it up...because I now have my next concept post ready for you all.

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Here I go again in this here concept series of mine.

For this next go-round in The HBCU Project, we gon? keep it in the SWAC and, for that matter, in the state of Alabama, and venture on down about a good hour-and-a-half, maybe two hours down I-65 south to Montgomery, the capital city of the state of Alabama, as well as the site of Alabama State University, home of the Hornets.

As is status quo, a little background on the institution, courtesy of the school?s website:

Alabama State University began life in 1867 as the Lincoln Normal School of Marion in Marion, AL, by nine former slaves and had an initial enrollment class of 113 students. The following year, the school was designated as a normal school (there?s that word ?normal? again) and renamed Lincoln Normal School. Six years later, the institution made history by becoming the nation?s first state-supported institution for blacks. This helped foster a very healthy educational environment for the school, and it was at that time that the school became known as, and is still known today, as a ?teacher?s college?. In the year 1827, under the leadership of William Patterson, the school?s second president, the school relocated from Marion to Montgomery. However, court legislation forced the institution to once again take on a new name, which became The Normal School for Colored Students.

In the following years, the school grew from a two-year institution to a four-year institution by the year 1928. A year later, the school changed names yet again, to the State Teachers College (which no doubt was spawned by the institution?s longstanding tradition as a ?teacher?s college?, as was mentioned previously). By 1948, the school became the Alabama State College for Negroes, and seven years later, the name changed (again!) to Alabama State College. In 1969, the State Board of Education, then the governing body of the university, approved a name change to what we know the institution as today: Alabama State University. The year 1995 was a landmark year for the institution, as the Knight vs. Alabama remedial decree transformed Alabama State University into a comprehensive regional institution, which helped the school begin two new undergraduate programs as well as four new graduate programs. Along with those new programs came diversity scholarship funding and endowment, funding to build a state-of-the art health sciences facility and a facility renewal earmark to completely renovate three existing buildings., which helped transform the university into the more modern insitution we know it as today.

One other thing that?s worth mentioning about this institution is the ?Marching Hornets?, it?s nationally renowned marching band. From its first national performance in 1967, during halftime of a game between the Jets and the Chiefs, the band would go on to perform several more halftime shows during several more NFL games as well as several college bowl games. Somehow, the band also ended up perfoming on the Ellen DeGeneres show back in ?07. It should also be mentioned that the Bama Collegians, a jazz orchestra band that was sponsored by the school, was the group responsible for recording "Tuxedo Junction", which became one of the national ?theme songs? of the United States during the World War II era.

Counted among notable alumni from this institution are Rosa Parks, who needs no further explanation, Mr. Fred Gray, the attorney who represented Parks during the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Dr. Ralph Simpson , the first black man to earn a Ph.D. in music, from Michigan State University; Rickey Smiley, a well-known comedian of BET?s Comic View fame and countless prank call skits (you might also remember him as ?Santa Claus? from Friday After Next); Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth, one of several legendary civil rights leaders (and whose surname served as the inspiration for Jesus Shuttlesworth, the character played by Ray Allen in Spike Lee?s ?joint? He Got Game), as well as London Charles--some of you may know her better as ?Deelishis? from the Flavor of Love reality TV show. As far as athletes go, the school?s produced Reggie Barlow, a rather decent receiver with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who?s now the school?s head football coach, and, of course (Minnesota fans--watch this one real close), 2005 SWAC champion QB, your current Vikings starting QB, Tarvaris Jackson.

Okay, so let?s get on to the good part now, shall we???

First?the logo package. While a good bit cartoony, Alabama State?s ?hornet? logo is still a fairly decent one. The school?s initials are rendered in a somewhat interesting style, but as it happens, the school has no current ?word mark?, so I used some interpolation and made one up for them. The numbers are rather simple--block style, gold trimmed in black. Here they are below:

And now...on to the uniforms.

Let me say this up front: I ain?t entirely sold on this particular design for a team nicknamed the ?Hornets?, BUT, in reviewing the different drafts I came up with, and after looking at what the school currently has, and in keeping with my new K.I.S.S.-themed mode of thinking, it?s what I ended up going with, simply because I thought the design itself worked out the best. As such, there?s nothing earth-shattering or ground-breaking about this set--I kept this design barebones basic, and let the colors kinda carry it.

Okay?now that I done got that out the way?Alabama State likes to emphasize the gold more so than the black--which is pretty apparent in this photo that shows how the school?s football uniform currently looks. Over the past several years, the school?s gone through several different looks--none of them really being all that cohesive at all. So I set out to fix that, at the very least. ASU?s current helmets have a simple ?ASU? mark on them that looks like it could have been done in MS WordArt in about 2 minutes. Though I initially wanted to go with the hornet as the helmet logo, it would have clashed with a gold helmet, which I wanted to keep for this squad, so I ended up going with the ?ASU? logo instead. As for the rest of the set, you?ll notice simple trim throughout. Home shirts are black with gold numbers trimmed in white, with the option of either gold or black pants. (And depending on what kind of monitor you?re viewing this screen through, some of you may notice the black has a slight tinge of brownish yellow to it--that was intentional. Call it the PANTO--er...ColorWerx influence. ) The road shirts are white, again with gold numbers, this time trimmed in black. As for the alternate set, there?s no special heritage theme this time (it ain?t like the football program is exactly steeped in tradition, either); rather, it?s based off Alabama State?s current home look, meaning gold jersey with either a choice of black or gold pants. (Speaking of which?if a lower-tier collegiate team like Alabama State can get all its gold to match, then why the hell can?t certain NFL teams out there, who shall remain nameless, get THEIR golds to match???)

Here they are in pictorial form:

And lastly, to round all this out, here are those same uniform designs (minus the all-gold look) in action view:

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Okay, people of the CCSLC?gimme what you got on these here. I?ll holla back?

~Buc

[-(dp)-]

Like you said, it is nothing completely groundbreaking, but I do really like it. The uniforms are really solid. I love the ASU and Alabama State wordmarks. Very clean, but enough to them to make them interesting. Definitely my favorite part of a package I feel is very solid all around. Good job again.

[chestnutz]

Not as good as the preview entry, but it's still, like Devin said, solid overall. Nothing wows me about it, but I have no gripes either.

[TFoA]

Solid, definitely better than what they have. I'm really diggin the brownish-black as a color choice. It helps to flow with the yellow. Gives it a natural look, IMO. I suppose this concept was all about color application, and if that's what you were going for, then you hit it spot on. The only gripe I have is that the facemask looks gray, but I'm sure it's just because of the color clashing with the shine. But as long as its brown, it's all gravy.

Once again, great job.

[tBBP]

Solid, definitely better than what they have. I'm really diggin the brownish-black as a color choice. It helps to flow with the yellow. Gives it a natural look, IMO. I suppose this concept was all about color application, and if that's what you were going for, then you hit it spot on. The only gripe I have is that the facemask looks gray, but I'm sure it's just because of the color clashing with the shine. But as long as its brown, it's all gravy.

Once again, great job.

Those 'masks are black--it's the highlights that are making it appear grayish. (Maybe I should tone those down a little with the darker colors in the future.) And yes, you are correct--as I mentioned, I pretty much let the colors carry this one here. The overall aim was to do that and present an appearance that the school could use for many years to come. (Probably should have mentioned that initially.)

'Preciate the feedback thus far...and any future feedback that may come.

[sacker12]

It looks different since it is not as jazzy as the actual sets that they have had in the past. I guess that is what caught me off guard, plus the fact that there isn't that greenish metallic gold that they use. I see that a true yellow gold is used in this set. It looks fine.

[LEWJ]

I like these so farr.

I can't wait for the next installation.

[bigmike]

These are amazing, The best concepts I have EVER seen!!!!!! A+++++ Great Job, and nice to see you working on the smaller teams I like that alot!!! Anyway Great Job cant wait for the next ones.

[tBBP]

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Here I go again, peoples. Been away for a good long while now...but here I go again with the next installment in this here HBCU project of mine.

For this installment, we venture east, to Tallahassee, FL, where we find the Rattlers of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University...or FAMU (or, simply, FAM) for short.

Before I get too deep into this, let me caveat this entire installment by saying I have a personal attachment to FAM, being that it's where I initially started my collegiate career. (My time there was VERY brief.) But I've remained in contact with several people I met during my time there as well as people I came up with who ended up attending that institution, so if the personal bias becomes overly apparent, at least you'll know why.

Anyway--as is status quo, here's some background on FAMU, courtesy of the school's website:

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, founded on October 3, 1887, as the State Normal College for Colored Students. Its destiny was to become an institution of higher learning, striving toward even greater heights of academic excellence. Leading the State Normal College through its infancy were two distinguished citizens and educators: Thomas DeSaille Tucker, an outstanding attorney from Pensacola (MY HOMETOWN!!!), who was selected as the college's first president; and Thomas Van Rennasaler Gibbs, a state representative from Duval County who was Tucker's top assistant. In 1891, the college received $7,500 under the Second Morrill Act for agricultural and mechanical arts education; thus, it became Florida's land grant institution for African-Americans. The college was moved from Copeland Street (the current site of present-day Florida State University) to its present location, and its name was changed to the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students. It was at this new site that President Tucker initiated his plans for institutional growth and development.

In the 1900s, this young institution flourished under the leadership of Nathan B. Young. In 1905, management of the college was transferred from the Board of Education to the Board of Control. This event was significant because it officially designated the college as an institution of higher education. The name was changed in 1909 to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (FAMC). The following year, with an enrollment of 317 students, the college awarded its first degrees. In spite of a setback caused by a tragic fire which destroyed Duval Hall (the main building which housed the library, administrative offices, cafeteria and other college agencies), progress was made when a gift of $10,000 was presented to the college by Andrew Carnegie for the erection of a new library facility--one which held the distinction of being the only Carnegie Library located on a African-American land-grant college. President Young directed the growth of the college with limited resources and expectations, to a four-year degree-granting institution, offering the B.S. degree in education, science, home economics, agriculture, and mechanical arts.

Under the administration of John Robert Edward Lee, Sr., Florida A&M University acquired much of the physical and academic image it has today. Buildings were constructed; more land was purchased; more faculty was hired; courses were upgraded, and accreditation was received from several state agencies. In 1944, Florida A&M College had constructed 48 buildings, accumulated 396 acres of land, and had 812 students and 122 staff members. In 1949, under the guidance of William H. Gray, Jr., expansion, along with reorganization, continued; the college had obtained an Army ROTC unit, and student enrollment had grown to more 2,000.

Perhaps the greatest achievement under the presidency of Dr. George W. Gore, Jr., was the elevation of the school to university status. In 1953 the college's name was changed by legislative action from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Obtaining university status meant restructuring existing programs and designing new academic offerings to meet the demands of producing quality students at the professional and graduate levels. Between 1953 and 1968 the Schools of Pharmacy, Law, Graduate Studies, and Nursing were created.

During the years 1950-1968, the university experienced its most rapid growth. Twenty-three buildings were erected with construction and renovation costs totaling more that 14 million. These facilities included the Dairy Barn, Faculty Duplexes, Law Wing of Coleman Library; Gibbs, Tucker, and Truth Halls; Agriculture and Home Economics Building(Perry Page), Student Union Building, Demonstration School Building and cafeteria; Health and Physical Education Building, Music and Fine Arts Complex, High School Gymnasium, Stadium, and Health and Physical Education Building. The hospital was completed and operative. The university staff increased by more that 500. At this time, the four-quarter plan was implemented, and the school became the first Negro institution to become a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Enrollment increased to more than 3,500.

With Dr. Benjamin L. Perry, Jr., at the helm, the 1970s brought further growth to the institution. FAMU experienced a decade of rapid transition during a time when federal laws were demanding a desegregated unitary system. His administration is credited with the preservation of FAMU's autonomy. In 1971 FAMU was recognized as a full partner in the nine-university, public higher education system of Florida. The program and academic areas within the institution were extended to include the Black Archives Research Center and Museum, established as a state repository for black history and culture; the Division of Sponsored Research; the Program in Medical Sciences, in conjunction with FSU and the University of Florida; the development of the School of Architecture; a Naval ROTC unit; establishment of the cooperative programs in agriculture; a degree-granting program in Afro-American Studies. Enrollment at FAMU increased from 3,944 (1969) to 5,024 (1970). The University was reorganized into academic areas instead of departments. The physical plants were improved by the construction of the Women's complex (apartment type dormitory), Clifton Dyson Pharmacy Building, new poultry building and dairy cattle resting shed and renovation of University Commons, Coleman Library, Tucker Hall and the FAMU Hospital was converted into the presently named, Foote-Hilyer Administration Center.

The 1980's served as a model for productive development of FAMU. Under the administration of Dr. Walter L. Smith, the University grew to eleven schools and colleges, and a Division of Graduate Studies, Research, and Continuing Education. In 1984, the University was granted the authority to offer its first Doctor of Philosophy degree, the Ph.D. in Pharmacology. The '80s also saw the expansion of the Gaither Athletic Center, which includes the construction of a new Women's Athletic Complex equipped with a track, an olympic pool, men's and women's weight training rooms, and softball and baseball fields. Bragg Memorial Stadium was renovated and expanded to provide seating for some 25,000 spectators, and a modern field house was erected. The old laundry was converted into the Industrial Education Classroom-Laboratory. New facilities were constructed to housing the Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Business and Industry, and Nursing. Construction and renovation projects amounted to more that $34 million. Under the leadership of Dr. Smith, the University launched the Centennial Celebration Fund for establishment of a university endowment.

In 1985, construction of a new corridor of history was begun as Dr. Frederick S. Humphries became the eighth president of FAMU. Under his leadership, FAMU has experienced significant growth and unsurpassed accomplishments. President Humphries has the distinction of residing over the University's Centennial Celebration: October 2, 1986-December 31, 1987. This commemorative event, which centered upon the theme, "A Legacy to Preserve--A Future to Design," was initiated with the president's inauguration, highlighted with many activities (lectures, concerts, convocation, etc.) and honors, and culminated with the burial of a time capsule.

Dr. Humphries' unique administrative initiatives have heightened the appeal for FAMU to high-school students, parents, and other publics. Some of the achievements made during President Humphries' administration include the following.

The University has experienced record-breaking enrollment growth during years 1986 to present. In 1985, enrollment was 5,100; and statistics for 1992-93 showed total enrollment at 9,551.

The University's national ranking in enrolling National Achievement finalists has steadily climbed from fourth place in 1989 to first place in 1992, surpassing institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. Through implementation of innovative recruiting efforts, such as the Life-Gets-Better, Excellence in Achievement, and President's Scholars Award programs, more outstanding students have been admitted to the university.

FAMU successfully completed the requirements for establishing five Eminent Scholars Chairs through the State Major Gifts Program: the Warner-Lambert Chair in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; the Garth Reeves and the Knight foundation chairs in the School of Journalism, Media and Graphic Arts, which were both filled during the 1992-93 academic year; and the Anheuser-Busch and Centennial chairs in the School of Business and Industry.

At the 1989 Spring Commencement Exercises, the University awarded its first Ph.D to Hyacith Chi Akunne in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. By spring 1992, nine students had been awarded the Ph.D. in pharmacy since inception of the doctoral program.

Perhaps the greatest single representative of FAMU's excellence is The FAMU "Marching 100" Band, which actually was the band that "started it all" for the rich HBCU marching band tradition. Under the direction of Dr. William P. Foster, who created the band, FAMU's Marching 100 grew to be a legendary force, both nationally and globally renowned. The band was thought of so highly that the French government, in 1989, invited the Marching 100 to participate in the Bastille Day Parade as the official representation from the United States. This event was held in celebration of the Bicentennial of the French Revolution. The Marching "100" continues to perfect its legacy of excellence, which has resulted in it being labeled as the "Best Marching Band in the Nation" by Sports Illustrated (August, 1992). The band received national recognition in January 1993, when it performed in the 52nd Inauguration Parade in Washington D.C. by invitation of President-Elect William "Bill" Clinton.

Read more about FAMU's Marching 100 and Dr. Foster here.

There's your background...now on to what you all really clicked up in here to see.

FAMU's graphic identity standards, the school website, and students and alumni will tell you that the school colors are orange and green. However, if one were to judge by athletic uniforms, I'd tell you that the colors are more like a warm-ish red and jade. (It's a combo I actually like, though--a lot.) For all the academic and musical excellence FAMU has amassed over the years, its football program has also garnered its share of accolades (the Rattlers rank behind only the Grambling State Tigers in the number of black college national championships). For all that excellence, however, the look of the football team has been anything but--it's pretty much been a consistent conglomerate of cluster:censored:edupness for the past several years.

Having had to look at all that over the years, it wasn't hard for me to develop a direction for this concept, which was to return the look of the team to that of a championship-caliber squad. Keywords for this package: SCALED...DOWN.

First, let's look at the logo package. I'm unsure of who designed the school's current athletic logo, but it isn't too bad in my eyes. The school currently has no secondary image or stand-alone wordmark that I'm aware of (other than that old snakehead that's been in use since the '70s), so I went and created a new secondary logo--although I will admit that I did that chiefly because I needed something else other than a "Rattlers" script on the helmets. Also, after analyzing the school's athletic logo, I also set out to create a new set of unique numbers (you'll see this a lot out of me, as I am a big believer that that particular element does as much to aid in the brand uniqueness of a given team/identity as any other element). Oh--and I kept the reddish-orange and "jade" combo too.

Here is the visual:

As for the uniforms themselves, you all see how the Rattlers have looked. I couldn't let that ride, so I simplified the hell out of their look--giving it a more "traditional" appearance. Also, even though not a singular bone in me wanted to do so, since FAMU's logos (well, their existing one and the one I created) feature black so heavily, I actually included black in this set--but only as minimal trim in the numbers and pants stripes. Featured in the collar and sleeve cuff trim is a nice little "snakeback" pattern the Rattlers used to use on their jerseys at one point, only refined a little bit. As for the combos, well...take a look at them below (I actually managed to come up with quite a few):

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