The Central Connecticut Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) in New Britain, Connecticut. The athletics department unveiled a comprehensive new branding initiative on August 10, 2011, introducing 11 unique marks, a new Blue Devil mascot, and a custom font developed specifically for the department.[1]
Design and History
The 2011 rebrand replaced a long-running logo that had been in use since 1994, which depicted a cartoonish devil running to the right while carrying a black trident, dressed in blue shorts, a T-shirt, and athletic shoes.[2] The new primary logo features a blue devil head beside the “Blue Devils” wordmark in blue, gray, and white.[3]
The new logo and font were designed and developed by Rickabaugh Graphics, an Ohio-based company with extensive experience in collegiate athletics branding. Rickabaugh used input from many members of the campus community to create an array of potential designs while ensuring that CCSU’s new brand was unique.[4] The redesign process took about a year and was one of the first initiatives undertaken by athletic director Paul Schlickmann after taking the role. The athletics department interviewed multiple companies before selecting Rickabaugh, and focus groups comprising athletics staff, student athletes, and other CCSU constituents provided feedback on the initial designs.[5]
As part of the rebrand, the previous block “CC” logo was replaced with a new CC logo incorporating a pitchfork, and the football helmet color was changed to match CCSU’s official royal blue.[6] The new logos can be used in full color (blue, white, and a new gray) or in classic CCSU blue and white.[1]
In August 2023, CCSU’s Marketing and Communications team unveiled a new university-wide logo system, the first update to the university logo in nearly 20 years. The athletics department’s Blue Devil logo remained exclusive to athletics, so the marketing team created a counterpart logo featuring the university clock tower at Davidson Hall that could be used campus-wide. The official university seal was retained as the legacy logo.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2011 mascot redesign was intended to reflect the values the athletics department associated with being a Blue Devil. Athletic director Paul Schlickmann described wanting the mascot to represent competitiveness, commitment, passion, pride, and hard work, noting that the new design was edgier and had more attitude than its predecessor.[5] The previous mascot, Victor E, was described as having a smiling light blue face and wearing a white number 99 football jersey, while the new mascot features a gray face, blue features, a cape, and a gray pitchfork.[5]
The mascot was officially named Kizer the Blue Devil on September 3, 2011, following a naming contest open to fans, students, and staff.[8]
Typography and Design
As part of the 2011 rebrand, Rickabaugh Graphics developed a custom font specifically for the CCSU athletics department.[1] The new primary logo pairs the blue devil head with the “Blue Devils” wordmark, and the design system includes 11 total marks for use across the department’s various sports programs.[3]
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