SFA Athletics released its new family of athletics logos and brand identity marks today (June 1). The release marks the culmination of a thorough process in cooperation with SME Branding, a division of Learfield IMG College. The refresh of SFA’s brand marks includes a revision of the iconic “shape of Texas” primary logo, as well as the addition of secondary and tertiary marks, a wordmark and Lumberjack/Ladyjack specific branding.
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“We are excited to unveil our new family of logos and identity marks”, said SFA Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey. “These marks provide us with a diverse group of assets that will allow us to expand on our iconic primary mark with consistency across all platforms. As we continue towards our vision of becoming the leading mid-major athletics department in the nation, these marks provide us with a strong foundation of our visual identity.”
Primary
The signature style of the iconic primary (state) logo has been enhanced by the removal of the beveled effect and two-toned purple coloring. A brighter, vibrant purple with white outlines makes up the bold SFA lettering at the focal point of the logo, while a purple star proudly displays the location of Texas’ oldest town. Added versatility in the logo exists in black and white versions, where the lettering and background can be interchanged between light and dark.
Secondary
With the addition of a true secondary logo, the Lumberjack brand grows stronger with the Piney Woods identity on full display. The proud forestry roots of SFA and the Piney Woods region adorn the top of a double-bladed axe, accompanied by the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks wordmark. A white star amidst the purple shrouded blade serves as a homage to the star representing Nacogdoches’ place on the primary mark as well as a nod to Texas’ status as the “Lone Star State”.
“Throughout this process, it was extremely important that we remained true to who we are”, added Ivey. “Our goal was to ensure that when any of the marks (primary, secondary, or tertiary) are visible, that you will always be able to identify it with SFA, the state of Texas and the Piney Woods of East Texas. A consistent, readily identifiable story from mark to mark was paramount during this process.”
Tertiary
Bold lettering conveys the true Lumberjack strength throughout the logo family, and is on full display in SFA’s new tertiary mark as well. The large letters “SFA” in a vibrant purple serve as the stand-in for an axe handle, as the double-bladed axe head comes through once more in the visual package. A purple star on the top half of the axe head serves as dual symbolism to the “Lone Star State” as well as serving as an ode to Nacogdoches on the primary mark, while a trio of grey-shaded pine trees stand proudly in the bottom half of the axe blade. The tertiary mark, much like the secondary mark, lends itself well to sport specific logos for each of SFA’s 18 varsity sports teams.
The color scheme throughout the logos maintains the SFA’s traditional pattern of purple and white, all while finding a balance between lighter hues of decades past and the darker purples found more recently. The new color scheme, combined with the versatility of each mark to function as a black and white logo, allows for greater visual depth and variety to be applied by SFA.
Wordmark
Bold lettering conveys the strength of the SFA mascot in the new SFA wordmark, available with both the Lumberjack and Ladyjack moniker. SFA’s bright, vibrant new purple against a white background allows the text to “pop” off the logo as the primary focus of the viewer. The wordmark design allows for greater variety and branding depth within the new family of logos.
