Brand Revitalization, Guidelines & More
UIC FLAMES ATHLETICS
Project Overview
The UIC Flames Athletics department contacted 4FRONT to help give UIC a unique but familiar identity, focusing on the connection to Chicago and its specific Ideals and traditions, as well as design strategy to future proof the brand.
Months of research and hours of focus group discussions with current UIC students and student-athletes, former letterwinners and UIC alumni, coaches and athletics staff, university colleagues, UIC partners at Adidas and other stakeholders, generated the ideas and insights that resulted in this comprehensive branding work.
Output included, an overall visual update, refinement (and in some cases a reconstruction) of the visual brand expression, storytelling and brand logic, a completely new brand guide, logos, typography, colors & more.
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- Photography
- Color & Shape Theory
- Copywriting
- Association: 4FRONT
- Client: Uni. of Illinois Chicago (Athletics Dept).
- Role: Art Direction & Graphic Design
- Year: 2020
PROJECT DETAILS
THE PROJECT
This 8-month brand update, refinement , & reconstruction included a completely new brand story, brand guide, logos, typography, colors & more.
Creative Strategy
“We set out to create a visual identity that truly reflects the UIC student body, greater community, and iconic city that we all call home. When we interviewed students, coaches, and staff, it was clear that Chicago needed to be an integral element of the brand, along with an emphasis on growth, innovation, and strong academics. We are extremely proud of the final product and are excited to have played a small role in enhancing UIC’s already proud brand.”
– Doron Tamari, 4FRONT
PROJECT Deliverables
THE PROJECT
We refreshed and refined existing logos, and strategized the usage of legacy logos, creating an entirely new category of brand marks. We delivered ~110 logos and logo lockups for document, team, and merchandise applications as well as a completely new brand guide. 4FRONT led the charge in conceptualizing and writing new stories, visuals, standards, and more for the UIC Athletics department, aiming to authentically tell the UIC & the Chicago “stories” more clearly and cohesively.
Implementation
The implementation of UIC’s refreshed brand identity is well underway. Elements have been incorporated into uniform designs where possible starting mid-2020 and for all team apparel orders for future seasons. The department’s social media accounts were updated earlier fall of 2020 and the branding is fully integrated into the new UICFlames.com. Flames fans were able to purchase apparel and merchandise featuring the refreshed brand starting in mid-2021.
PROJECT RESULTS
THE PROJECT
We were successful in giving the UIC Flames Athletics Department a unique but familiar identity, that focuses on the connection to Chicago, relatable traditions and Ideals, and direction in the form of assets, standards, and techniques that will keep the brand consistent but evolving for years to come.
project Feedback
“I appreciate so much the contributions of our students, staff, alumni and other stakeholders who invested their time and energy in this initiative. The results fully reflect the pride the Flames Family has for UIC and for Chicago. Special thanks to Dan, Kyle, and the 4Front team for their great work.”
– Michael Lipitz, UIC Director of Athletics
“The brand refresh is great for UIC. We have always taken a tremendous amount of pride in being located in Chicago and it is our hope to reflect some of the unique characteristics of Chicago, whether it is the makeup of our teams or how we play on the field. The integration of our skyline, red stars and light blue into the refined traditional marks enhances our story.
– Sean Phillips, Head Men’s Soccer Coach
“In refreshing the UIC Athletics brand, we really tapped into the common themes that emerged from our discussions with student-athletes, coaches, alumni, and campus. Energy, enthusiasm, optimism, progress, and of course the university’s place within the heart of Chicago are just some of these themes that we wanted to convey. We truly feel like we have created an energetic brand that conveys the forward progress of not only the athletics department, but the university as a whole. We are excited about all the ways that we will be able to bring this new brand identity to life through our teams, apparel, and facilities moving forward.”
– Kyle Decker, UIC Director of Brand Strategy
“The efforts made by the athletic department to refresh our brand are really bringing everyone together. It unifies the department, while using new progressive ideas combined with classic and clean look. The Chicago themes show everyone who we are and where our roots come from. The skyline is unique because that specific view is directly from our UIC campus. The classic six-pointed Chicago stars and the Chicago blue color that is synonymous with the city flag show everyone that we aren’t just another school in Illinois, but that we take pride in being from a city with such a rich history and diverse background.”
– Kayla Pociejewski, Softball Student-Athlete & SAAC President
