The Atlantic Sun Conference, an NCAA Division I conference founded in 1978 as the Trans America Athletic Conference, adopted its current primary mark in 2016 when it rebranded as the ASUN Conference. The identity was developed in partnership with SME Branding, a New York-based firm, and was unveiled by conference student-athletes in April 2016 before rolling out universally on July 1 of that year.[1]
Design and History
The conference’s first major rebrand came in 2001, when the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) changed its name to the Atlantic Sun Conference. The name change was prompted by members who felt the Trans America name no longer fit the conference’s geographic reach after it lost schools in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana since 1990. The old acronym also caused confusion, as people did not know whether TAAC stood for Trans Atlantic, Trans American or Trans America. The new name and logo, developed by Phoenix Design Works, were designed to eliminate that confusion.[2]
The 2016 rebrand introduced the current primary mark, which incorporates a rising sun into a bold, solid letter “A.” The rising sun represents the promise of each day’s growth and the expectation of a continued bright future, while the solid “A” symbolizes the ASUN’s strength and stability.[1] The redesigned mark includes a bold and steady typeface that reflects conference “stability, strength and reliability.”[3]
The two-color mark was designed for versatility, enabling each of the eight ASUN member institutions and eight affiliate members to display the logo in their own colors.[1] The conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) originally fueled the rebranding effort, and the ASUN and SME solicited input from student-athletes, administration, coaches and faculty.[3]
The 2016 mark was registered as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The registration describes the mark as a stylized letter “A” consisting of a sun in the center of the letter.[4] A related wordmark registration covers the stylized words “ASUN” and “CONFERENCE,” with “ASUN” in larger font featuring the same stylized “A.”[5]
In 2025, the conference refreshed its championship branding. The postseason event logos were updated and marked by a premier gold logo to identify their significance. The work was credited to Joe Bosack & Co. and ASUN staff members Kaitlin Parsons and Elyse Appelblatt.[6] A new logo and branding for the 2026 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments was unveiled in September 2025, also credited to Joe Bosack & Co.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The rising sun locked within the “A” of the conference logo represents hope and optimism for the future, as well as for students and student-athletes, according to ASUN officials.[3] The conference itself describes the sun as representing the promise of each day’s growth and the expectation of a continued bright future.[1]
Typography and Design
The 2016 primary mark uses a bold and steady typeface that conference officials said reflects “stability, strength and reliability.”[3] The mark is a two-color design, described at rollout as a black-and-yellow logo, with the versatility to be displayed in each member institution’s own colors.[3][1]
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