The Atlantic 10 Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference founded in 1976 as the Eastern Eight and renamed the Atlantic 10 in 1982. Its current visual identity, introduced in 2014, was developed by the branding agency 160over90 and consists of a primary wordmark, secondary versions, and a shield mark for non-traditional and social media usage.[1]
Design and History
The Atlantic 10 unveiled its current brand identity on June 30, 2014. The identity includes a logo redesign, brand identity, and an in-depth usage guide, a first for the conference. The new logos were developed in conjunction with 160over90, the branding agency that also produced the conference’s “Next” campaign. The refreshed logos tie into the lineage of the previous A-10 mark while incorporating revised colors: PMS red 485 and PMS neutral black.[1][2]
According to the conference, the new marks incorporate imagery of speed and strength and were designed to portray the Atlantic 10’s core values of winning, success, leadership, community service, and academic excellence.[1] Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade stated at the time that it was time to redesign the logo “highlighting the strength, speed and commitment of this league,” noting that the branding was updated and modernized to keep pace with the membership.[1]
160over90’s creative director Tim O’Donnell described the approach as “an evolution, not a revolution, of a logo system,” intended to give a nod to the past while telling the “Next” brand story.[3] The redesign replaced the conference’s previous blue-based look with a black and red design.[4]
Prior to the 2014 redesign, the conference had introduced an earlier identity program that emphasized the A-10 nickname while maintaining traditional red, white, and blue colors.[5] The conference has also produced commemorative anniversary logos, including a 40th anniversary mark in 2015-16 and a 45th anniversary logo in 2020-21, both developed by 160over90.[6][7] For the 2025-26 season, the conference unveiled a 50th anniversary logo featuring the primary A-10 mark in a lockup with a golden 50.[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2014 marks were designed to reflect the message of the “Next” campaign, which the conference described as incorporating imagery of speed and strength.[1] 160over90 described the custom-made letterforms as conveying the conference’s level of athleticism and fast-paced play, with angled serifs acting as speed lines and the exaggerated slope of the “A” connoting advancement.[3]
Typography and Design
The Atlantic 10’s official brand guidelines describe the logo as consisting of custom drawn type in a single weight.[9] The official color specifications for the 2014 identity are PMS red 485 and PMS neutral black.[1] The brand guidelines also note that the neutral black was selected to work in print, on digital displays, and for web browsers, with a specified CMYK breakdown for print usage and RGB values for digital display usage.[9]
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