The NYIT Bears are the athletic teams of the New York Institute of Technology (New York Tech), a private university founded in 1955 with campuses in Old Westbury and New York City.[1] The university’s official colors are blue and gold, and its nickname is the Bears.[1] The athletic department competed in NCAA Division II as a member of the East Coast Conference until August 2020, when the university suspended its intercollegiate athletics programs for at least two years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and associated costs.[2]
Design and History
In June 2019, the New York Tech athletic department unveiled a new logo and updated color scheme.[3] The new roaring bear replaced a more abstract and muscular bear that had served as the athletic department’s symbol since the 1990s.[3] The color scheme moved from a lighter blue to a darker blue and rich gold, similar to the colors of the New York state flag.[3]
The brand refresh was created by the Minneapolis-based branding agency Sussner.[4] The agency described the previous bear mascot, nicknamed “The Meatball,” as dated and in need of replacement.[5] The project team included creative director Derek Sussner, senior designer Tanya Jacobson, designers Callie McLaughlin and Danielle Odeen, and project manager Coco McDonald.[6]
The refreshed identity was designed to help the athletic department attract and recruit top athletic and academic talent, and to elicit elevated school spirit.[6] The refined color palette and custom wordmark were intended to unify the athletic department brand with the broader university brand.[6] Daniel Vélez, then director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation, said the goal was “to create an identity that honored our past, projected to the future, and is timeless in nature.”[4]
The new bear mascot was named Roary, announced at the university’s Homecoming and Family Weekend on September 21, 2019.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2019 university-wide rebrand, which preceded the athletic refresh, changed the institution’s colors to reflect the official state colors of New York, underscoring the university’s location and identity.[8] The athletic department’s darker blue and rich gold palette was similarly described as similar to the New York state flag.[3]
The Sussner agency noted that the refreshed bear was designed to be “proud and ferocious,” replacing the previous mascot that had earned the unflattering “Meatball” nickname.[5] The agency described the new identity as one that “celebrates the importance of competition, the essence of the team, and the school’s dedication to its athletics and student-athletes.”[4]
Typography and Design
The athletic brand refresh included a custom wordmark designed to unify the athletic department with the university’s broader visual identity.[6] The university’s institutional rebrand introduced proprietary typefaces, including Kuunari, Clio, DIN Next, and Arno Pro, described as reflecting the university’s contemporary and forward-thinking technological identity.[8] The university’s new logo, set in the Kuunari font and featuring the blue and gold brand colors, includes an anchor bar above the full university name.[8]
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