The Rider Broncs are the athletic teams of Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, competing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The university’s official athletics colors are cranberry, white, and gray, and its mascot is the Bronc, a bucking horse that has appeared in various forms across the program’s visual identity since the late 1920s.[1]
Design and History
The current primary logo, introduced in 2007, features a bronc head above a stacked “RIDER BRONCS” wordmark rendered in cranberry, gray, and black.[2] The 2007 redesign was created by Phoenix Design Works, the firm that also conceptualized the original redesign and later created an additional secondary mark for the 2014-15 academic year.[3]
When the 2007 redesign was introduced, it was just the fourth logo in the then 80-year history of Rider varsity athletics. The original mark, designed and illustrated by Coach Clair Bee in 1928, depicted a Roughrider riding a bronc. Bee was an accounting professor at Rider before founding the varsity athletics program in 1928-29 and served as the university’s first director of athletics.[3]
In 1989, Rider switched from the original Roughrider design to an upright Bronc. The Bronc changed its sweater over the years, wearing an “R” on the chest at one point and later the words “Rider” or “Broncs.” The mark was incorporated with a “U” when Rider became a university in 1994.[3]
In 2014, the athletics department added a new secondary mark that combined two existing logos. According to Karin Torchia, associate director of athletics for external operations, the addition was a way to “enhance our brand without having to go through an extensive redesign.” The secondary logo marks at that time included the R, horseshoe, and horsehead.[3]
Meaning and Symbolism
Rider University’s graphic standards manual describes the athletics logo as featuring the Bronc, the official mascot of Rider University’s sports teams. Use of the trademarked logo is restricted to athletics-related programs and events, and it must be reproduced using authorized digital files with the approved University colors.[4]
The mascot received an official name, AJ, in 2016. The name was chosen through a campus-wide contest and honors Rider’s first president, Andrew J. Rider.[5]
Typography and Design
The Rider University graphic standards manual specifies that the university’s logos are available in four-color (CMYK), two-color (Pantone 201 and Black 6), black, and reverse versions. The athletics logo must be reproduced using authorized digital files with the approved University colors.[4]
Rider University Athletics manages the presentation of its brand, including all use of trademarks, service marks, logos, insignias, seals, symbols, or slogans associated with the athletics department. The university has partnered with CLC to manage licensing of its athletics marks.[6]
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.
