The American Athletic Conference, now known as the American Conference, is an NCAA Division I conference that traces its current visual identity to a 2013 rebranding following the realignment of the original Big East Conference. The conference unveiled its first logo on May 30, 2013, as part of a comprehensive rebranding effort, formally assuming its new name on July 1 of that year.[1]
Design and History
The 2013 identity was created by LeslieAnne Wade and MadCreek Advertising of Upper Montclair, New Jersey.[2] The primary mark featured a simple, athletic letter “A” in red, white and blue, with a red star inside the letter.[1] Commissioner Mike Aresco said the “elegant, athletic and classic letter A with the unique star inside and AMERICAN underneath was unanimously chosen by every institution.”[1]
According to Aresco, the conference wanted a mark that was “distinctive” and would “make an impact,” with the goal of keeping it “as simple as possible but also strong.”[3] The conference deliberately avoided an acronym-based logo to prevent confusion with the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[3] LeslieAnne Wade, a marketing consultant for the league, said the design team wanted the mark to be “a little traditional, but very new-looking,” and focused on creating “a clean, simple strong symbol” that read as a sports brand rather than a corporate logo.[3]
In July 2025, the conference launched a modernized brand identity, retiring the names “American Athletic Conference” and “AAC” in favor of “American Conference” on first reference and “American” thereafter.[4] The rebranding was led by the brand and communications firm ANACHEL under CEO Carrie Cecil, following a five-phase evaluation process.[4] The new wordmark logo retains the conference’s signature angular “A” mark, which now leads the word “American.”[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2013 logo’s red, white and blue palette was chosen to match the conference’s patriotic name.[5] The blue “A” with a red star in the middle served as the primary symbol for the league.[6] Aresco said he hoped the logo would “serve as a symbol bringing familiarity and identity to a league that had spent the past several months in transition.”[6]
The 2025 rebrand introduced a new tagline, “Built to Rise,” described by the conference as “resilient by design, purpose-driven in action.”[4] The conference also introduced “Soar the Eagle,” a brand ambassador described as a “multi-platform, purpose-driven brand symbol and commercialized IP.”[4] The name change was made to ensure “consistent recognition” and reinforce a “sharper, more modern identity,” according to a brand packet provided by ANACHEL.[7]
Typography and Design
The 2013 identity included two official wordmark logos presenting the words “American” and “The American,” which could also be paired with the baseline phrase “Athletic Conference.”[8] The horizontal mark featured the word “American” in blue lettering with a red star dotting the “i,” and the words “Athletic Conference” in a smaller font below.[5] The conference’s official style guide specified PMS 289 navy blue and PMS 201 red as part of the color system.[9]
Member institutions were permitted to customize the primary vertical logo with their own school colors for use on uniforms and facilities.[10]
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