Brand Identity Microsite
LANCASTER, Pa. - The Centennial Conference is thrilled to unveil a revitalized brand identity that honors its rich history and is inspired by its future ambitions. To create the updated identity, a full range of conference stakeholders were engaged in a collaborative process guided by New Jersey-based Skye Design Studios (SDS), a national leader in sport branding.
“It was vital that the Centennial Conference refresh our logo and solidify our story as we celebrate 30 years as a conference," said Executive Director Portia Hoeg. "Our vision was to create a brand that aligned to our status as an elite Division III league excelling academically and athletically. The result of this project is a timeless mark and collateral materials that are not only cohesive, but also representative of who we are as an organization.”
In conjunction with the brand refresh, the conference also revealed its new website, which will remain located at centennial.org via a partnership with SIDEARM Sports. The new Centennial website will still contain all of the same information about the conference and its institutions, teams, and student-athletes, but will provide a fresh look, accessible and clear navigation, and a responsive layout and design that scales to fit the user’s device on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
The Centennial Conference is one of the nation's elite small college conferences, offering an exceptional pairing of academic and competitive excellence with a commitment to a broad-based educational experience for students engaged in intercollegiate athletics. Its member institutions are among the oldest and most prestigious in the nation. Likewise, the updated identity is intended to capture this convergence of elite academia and sport in a bold and meaningful way.
ELITE INSIGNIA - The primary mark was designed as a circular crest to emulate timeless, elite insignias associated with both academic and athletic excellence.
VARSITY LETTER - The 'CC' monogram is the focal point of the primary mark, emblematic of a collegiate varsity letter motif. Fittingly, 'C' represents 100 in Roman numerals as a nod to the conference name.
UNIFIED LEGACY - The unified treatment of the 'CC' monogram is a tribute to the tight-knit conference membership, both in camaraderie and geographic proximity.
PLATINUM STATUS - Arguably the most valuable of all precious metals, platinum was selected as the core conference color to represent the exceptional academic and athletic standards of the conference.
The refreshed identity includes a family of sport-specific logos designed to emulate metallic pins traditionally applied to varsity letters.
A flexible system of general and sport-specific postseason marks were created to complement the core identity. The conference championship trophy is the focal point of the general postseason marks, designed to be perpetual in nature, while the sport-specific versions are framed by a championship banner and contain editable sport-specific imagery and text.
The full-time conference membership will have access to versions of the primary mark rendered in each institution's official colors.
“The Centennial story is a powerful one - rich traditions, fierce rivalries, a balanced emphasis on both athletic and academic achievement," said SDS Founder Skye Dillon. "It is in many ways a true embodiment of the collegiate sport experience. I would like to thank Portia and her dedicated team as well as the rest of the conference community who helped shape this identity.”
About Skye Design Studios
Skye Design Studios is a national branding leader, with a focus on sport, lifestyle, and academic properties. The mission of SDS is to deliver a personal customer service experience and premium brand solutions to each of our clients. For more information, visit skyedesignstudios.com.
About SIDEARM Sports
Operating in the LEARFIELD portfolio of companies since June 2014, SIDEARM Sports is the nation’s leading digital provider for college athletics. Based in Syracuse, N.Y. and founded in 2000 by Jeff Rubin, who continues to lead the business, SIDEARM is trusted by some of the biggest brands in the industry, including the majority of NCAA programs and Power Five athletic departments. As a leader in digital fan engagement, SIDEARM Sports provides the best-in-class software and technology that powers websites, mobile applications, OTT media services, live stats, video streaming and more for its partners. Clients continue to trust SIDEARM for its support, reliability, customization and easy-to-use interface that allows schools to tailor their content and digital presence directly for their fans.
