Davidson, a private liberal arts college in North Carolina that rose to national prominence when Steph Curry led the basketball program to the Elite Eight in 2008, unveiled a new logo set and wordmark this week in an effort to unify its academic and athletic branding.
“Davidson performs at the highest levels in academics, in athletics, in the arts – in every way.,” president Doug Hicks said in a statement. “The images we use to represent Davidson should consistently reflect that quality, that level of excellence.”
The new visual identity is the result of an eight-month process that included students, faculty and alumni, and is highlighted by a redesigned wildcat logo, which is modeled after the statute across from the Baker Sports Complex on campus.
The logo depicts a realistic wildcat from the side rather than the front and adds gray to Davison’s red and black color scheme. It also removes the familiar red diamond from the background, which has been a staple of the Wildcats’ logo for more than two decades.
There’s also a full-body version of the wildcat, which has spots on its back and legs. This logo brings to mind other full-body cats in sports, including the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The new “DC” monogram, meanwhile, was inspired by the engravings on buildings across campus, namely the Chambers Building and Alvarez College Union. It helps separate Davidson from other red “D” schools in the Atlantic 10, such as Dayton and Duquesne.
The monogram is paired with a new wordmark in the same font, which is exclusive to Davidson and is derived from chiseled engraving. It replaces the wordmark that was unveiled in 2010 and will be used for both academic and athletic purposes.
Lastly, the Wildcats have also updated to a deeper shade of red, making them the only school at the NCAA Division I level to use this exact shade (Pantone 3546C). These changes will be reflected on uniforms and at venues on campus in the coming months.
Davidson is also planning for the new “DC” monogram to be displayed at the 50-yard line of its new $54.5 million football stadium, which is set to open for the 2024 season. Presumably, the end zones will be fitted with the new wordmark, as well.
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