The College of Charleston Cougars are the varsity athletic teams of the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The university’s official athletics page lists the Cougars as an NCAA Division I program with maroon and white as its school colors.[1]
Design and History
In August 2013, College of Charleston Athletics unveiled a new brand and identity logo system, developed in collaboration with Gil Shuler Graphic Design.[2] The rebranding coincided with the Cougars’ inaugural season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, following the school’s move from the Southern Conference.[3]
The new athletics logo incorporates a clean block “C” with a serif that can be traced back to several different decades, including the 1890s, 1920s, 1940s and 1960s, of athletics history at the College.[2] Alternate versions of the logo that incorporate “The College” and “Cougars” were developed for multi-use on in-game gear and merchandise.[2] Alternate cursive logos reading “Cougars,” “Charleston,” and “The College” were also introduced.[3]
The rebranding was the result of an eight-month process that included a committee of representatives from athletics, senior administration, marketing and communications, and the College’s Alumni Association, as well as focus groups with alumni, students, faculty and staff.[2] Gil Shuler and his staff conducted extensive research to create a classic logo intended to stand the test of time.[2]
In May 2024, College of Charleston President Andrew Hsu announced that the athletics logo, referred to as the Block C, would become more prominent in the university’s external marketing and recruitment efforts.[4] Because the Block C logo previously did not include the full College of Charleston name, the Marketing and Communications team incorporated the name using one of the College’s approved fonts, Avenir Next LT Pro.[4]
Typography and Design
The College of Charleston’s visual identity system includes the Randolph Hall graphic with wordmark, the Block C with approved type treatment, and the wordmark.[5] The approved type treatment for the Block C lockup was created using Avenir Next LT Pro, one of the College’s approved fonts, in medium (College of) and bold (Charleston) type weights.[5]
The College’s primary color palette includes maroon (Pantone 188) and gold (Pantone 7503), with white as a third primary color.[6] The athletics graphic identity guide specifies maroon as Pantone 188 and metallic gold as Pantone 8383, with Pantone 4525 as a substitute when metallic gold cannot be used.[7]
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
