The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams of the College of the Holy Cross, a Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts. The athletics department’s visual identity is built around a purple “HC” shield, which serves as the primary mark for the department and all of its athletic programs.[1]
Design and History
The “HC” shield is the most important symbol in the Holy Cross Athletics brand system and is intended to be used as the primary identifier for the department and all athletic programs.[1] The brand system also includes logos with team or department designations available in both “HC Shield” and “Holy Cross wordmark” formats.[1]
The Crusader nickname has been part of the college’s identity for over a century. Holy Cross began using the Crusader name in 1920, and in 1925 students voted to formally adopt “The Crusader” as the official symbol, replacing earlier unofficial mascots associated with the school’s signature purple color and Native American imagery.[2][3] At the time, the literal meaning of “crusader,” one who is marked by the cross of Christ, was felt to be appropriate for the college’s Jesuit and Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition.[4]
In 2017 and 2018, the college reviewed the Crusader name amid broader national scrutiny of mascots connected to medieval Christian military campaigns. After months of debate, the Board of Trustees voted in February 2018 to retain the Crusaders moniker.[3][4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The primary colors for Holy Cross Athletics are purple and white, which should always be the first choice for primary identifiers of the department.[5] The college’s association with purple dates to its earliest decades, with the color referenced in campus publications such as The Purple, the student newspaper founded in the 1880s.[6]
Typography and Design
The athletics brand system specifies that all numeral design is created using the “Crusader” font, and selected fonts are described as crucial to keeping brand consistency for Holy Cross Athletics.[5] A 2019 logo suite guide from the college’s marketing and communications office indicates that the primary application of the logo is a purple shield with either black or white text, depending on the darkness of the background color.[7]
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