The East Texas A&M Lions men’s basketball team, formerly the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions, competes under the university’s athletics identity. The team’s visual identity is built around the Lion head mark and the university’s official blue and gold colors, which have remained consistent through a recent institutional name change.
Design and History
In early August 2013, Texas A&M University–Commerce unveiled a new athletics identity designed by Torch Creative of Dallas, Texas. The new mark featured a more modern and noble lion head, which was first revealed in oversized fashion at midfield of Memorial Stadium during installation of new field turf. The lion head stretched 50 yards across the center of the playing surface and generated national attention.[1][2][3]
The 2013 rebrand also introduced a new font unique to Lion Athletics, which became the department’s primary font. Both the logo and font were featured on the revamped LionAthletics.com when it launched in October of that year.[1]
On November 7, 2024, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved renaming Texas A&M University–Commerce to East Texas A&M University. According to the university’s official name change FAQ, the logos and colors remained the same following the adoption of the new name.[4]
The university’s official brand guidelines describe the lion head as a visual representation of the institution’s identity. The guidelines also caution against using a gold lion head on a white background, noting that doing so causes the eye, nose, mouth, ear and jawline to become highlights instead of shadows, which is not how actual lions look.[5]
In 2014, the basketball program’s home court at the University Field House received a new playing surface featuring an oversized version of the Lion head logo along with a light-blue stain around the rest of the court.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The university’s official colors are blue and gold, which the institution confirmed would remain unchanged after the 2024 name change.[4] The lion head logo serves as the athletic department’s primary mark, and the university has stated that the incorporation of the lion head in its logos is a visual representation of the institution’s identity.[5]
Typography and Design
The 2013 athletics rebrand introduced a new font unique to Lion Athletics, which became the primary font used by the department. The font was developed alongside the new lion head logo as part of the comprehensive identity update.[1]
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