The Process
Western's Athletics programs had grown and earned recognition at higher levels, but the visual identity hadn't grown with them. Each program showed up a little differently, and that inconsistency was starting to work against the pride and recognition the university had earned. I started with a deep dive into sports marketing in the college athletics space, looking at how peer and aspirational programs built and presented their identities. From there, I asked what actually made a Mountaineer a Mountaineer: what's the story, the place, the culture that every team shares no matter the sport? From there, I built out three brand pillars that piggybacked off Western's existing university-wide pillars, but written specifically for Athletics to give the brand something to stand on. Together they became the strategic foundation for every design decision that followed, from the mark system to the tone of the guidelines themselves.
I led this project from strategy through execution as creative director and art director, building the pillars, then designing the logos, system, and every look-and-feel asset behind them.
The Strategy
With the pillars in place, I built the full system: a logo hierarchy with mascot logos, wordmarks, social icons, and specialty marks; a graphic system rooted in place and grit. I compiled all of it into a 75-page brand guidelines book, with dedicated standards for how the identity flexes across NCAA & Varsity, Mountain Sports, and Club Sports — so every program had a clear, consistent way to show up while still feeling distinctly itself.
A brand this big needed structure and something every program can authentically identify with and stand behind.
The Rollout
The university president's office positioned the rollout as a statement about unity: one Mountaineer identity, recognizable wherever the teams compete, connecting student-athletes, alumni, and fans to something bigger than any single program. I made the guidelines and full asset library available on the university's Microsoft SharePoint site so coaches and staff across every program could access logos, templates, and standards on their own. From there, I worked through logo creation across all sports, translating the system into marks for each individual team.
Brand Guidelines + Online Asset Library
When our teams look connected, it strengthens the pride felt by everyone who supports them.
