New Logo Unveiled At CSUB

California State University, Bakersfield unveiled its new logo and redesigned mascot at the annual Tip-off Luncheon today where the men's and women's basketball teams are introduced to the community.

The new logo has a bolder, italicized font in the university's traditional blue and gold. The redesigned roadrunner mascot reflects speed and grit, qualities for which roadrunners are known.

The new logo and mascot redesign are a collaborative effort on the part of alumni, faculty, staff, boosters, students and coaches, who all participated on a redesign committee.

"The sense was that with our pending move to NCAA Division I for athletics, and with the university's commitment to excellence we wanted marks that reflected that change," said Karen Langston, CSUB's director of marketing and sales for athletics.

Several constituencies had voiced concern that the university's CSUB logo, with horizontal stripes through the top, was dated. Others thought the mascot too much resembled a cartoon character. So with a new president, Horace Mitchell, at the university's helm, it was felt the time was right for a makeover.

"We wanted to develop a visual symbol of the university that struck a balance between tradition and change," Langston said. "Our brand, if you will, has been built up over the years. And it's a good brand. We wanted to update it and refresh it to reflect the university's growth."

The committee began its work in July, working to establish what qualities it wanted in the university's new marks. Descriptives that the committee came up with included movement, smart, fast, swift, crafty, determined, competitive, fierce, big, exciting, compelling, magnetic, excellence, sophistication, and pride.

Don Diboll, chair of Physical Education and Kinesiology Department and of the Intercollegiate Athletics Association Committee, participated in the redesign focus group and aptly described a roadrunner as an "agile predator." The description stuck.

The committee then met with Phoenix Design Works, a company in New York City that has a strong reputation for identity design. The company has designed logos and word marks for such organizations as Louisiana State University, the Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Indianapolis 500, the University of Arkansas, University of Massachusetts, Harvard University and Troy State University. It also recently developed the new logo and mascot for Sonoma State University when it changed its mascot from Cossacks to Seawolves. Through several weeks the committee and Phoenix Design refined the logo, word marks and mascot, resulting in what is being unveiled today.

"I am delighted with the committee's work," Mitchell said. "Their efforts reflect our commitment to excellence, and their results represent our new vision and have improved our visual identity.

"We began this project because we wanted to better represent the university's spirit and mission, and to establish a sense of distinctiveness. We wanted to offer a new and vibrant image for the campus, and to reinforce our identity. The committee has been very successful in this endeavor.

"Their work has shown respect for the traditions that have emerged at CSUB, and at the same time reinforced our unique identity. I'm sure the community will like the change as much as the committee members and I do."

Contact:
Mike Stepanovich, 661/654-2456, mstepanovich@csub.edu
Jaclyn Loveless, 661/654-2138, jloveless@csub.edu