Hawaii Pacific University’s athletics program competes as the Hawaii Pacific Sharks, a nickname adopted in 2014 when the university replaced its long-standing “Sea Warriors” identity with a new shark-based mark. The current athletics logo was unveiled on August 1, 2014, as part of a broader brand refresh that unified the athletics primary logo, mascot font, logo type and monogram with the university’s identity.[1][2]
Design and History
HPU had been known as the Sea Warriors for more than 30 years before the change.[3] Planning for the new identity began in February 2014, one month after Vince Baldemor started as HPU’s executive director of athletics. Baldemor said he noticed inconsistencies in the existing branding, including a shark mascot named Sharky while the school’s nickname was still Sea Warriors, and an athletics fundraising campaign already known as SHARX.[4]
Osaki Creative Design was hired to lead, develop and design the logo, reporting to a committee of stakeholders led by Baldemor. The process involved interviews with students, student-athletes, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni and donors, and the final design was the collective result of seven months of work, hundreds of interviews and more than twenty versions.[1] The university’s kupuna-in-residence and assistant professor of anthropology, Lynette Cruz, was part of the rebranding process to ensure the new identity would be respectful of the shark as a Native Hawaiian ‘aumakua (family god).[1][2]
Baldemor described the goal of aligning the athletics mark with the university logo so there would be “similarities in color and design” that would solidify the two as one university.[4] The name change was announced as part of a fundraising effort.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
According to HPU’s official brand guidelines, the athletics logo was “inspired by the impact of the Pacific on Hawaiian culture and lifestyle and by the traditional Hawaiian ‘aumakua (family god).” The shark symbolizes HPU’s “focus and purpose, strength and balance,” and the athletics logo demonstrates the university’s “sense of Hawai’i pride and its place in the Pacific.”[6] The university’s official description also notes that accents of the shark refer to the university logo, which was inspired by the vast Pacific Ocean surrounding the state, a visual identity that “synchronizes movement forward and openness towards future possibilities.”[1]
Typography and Design
The 2014 refresh introduced a new primary logo, mascot font, logo type and monogram that unified the athletics brand with the university’s identity.[2] The university’s official brand colors include HPU Teal (Pantone 7468, #007298) and HPU Lt Teal (Pantone 7458, #71B1C8) as primary colors, with additional secondary colors such as HPU Ocean Blue (Pantone 660, #397dc9) and HPU Dark Blue (Pantone 295, #002856) available for accent use.[6]
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