The University of Virginia on Friday morning unveiled a refreshed brand identity that includes an updated primary mark, two new secondary logos, revised color scheme and other associated typography.
“I love the new visual identity system,” athletic director Carla Williams said in a statement. “It’s exciting and it maintains UVA’s sense of history and a strong connection to the past. It pays homage to our tradition and what we hope our future will be, which is to be bold, creative, innovative, competitive, fierce and fiery. The new marks and logos have all of those qualities in each one of them.”
The 18-month collaborative process with Nike — which included input from administrators, coaches, fans and student-athletes — was almost delayed amid the worldwide coronavirus outbreak, but the athletic department ultimately decided to keep with the timeline to serve as a rallying point for the university.
“To hear our coaches and staff members who had been at UVA for many years talk about the University, the Rotunda, the Lawn, the serpentine walls and the academic mission of the University was quite impressive and inspiring,” Williams said. “I could see and hear their passion for UVA and their commitment and love for the university.”
The V-Sabre will remain the Cavaliers’ primary logo, but has been enhanced with the addition of a beveling effect and details to the grip of the sabres that mimics the design of the serpentine walls found on campus.
“The V-Sabre logo is uniquely Virginia,” Williams said. “I noticed our logo sometimes gets washed out in comparison to the other logos in the ACC. Those logos have become more visually impressive over the years. The updates to the V-Sabre enhance our primary mark and enable it to be pronounced when it is positioned side-by-side with our competition.”
Virginia’s new Cavalier Shield logo, meanwhile, pulls inspiration from the V-Sabre and the Rotunda that was designed by Thomas Jefferson and serves as the centerpiece of the university. The hat in the center of the shield is also worn by the figure in the other secondary mark, whose sword-bearing arms are crossed in a fighting stance.
“The Cavalier mark is a symbol of strength, character, mystery, integrity, and diversity,” Williams said. It’s one of those unique marks that in short time will become very popular and synonymous with everything that we as Cavaliers aspire to be.”
Virginia introduced a custom font based on the original design documents of the Rotunda and numerals that notably include the edge of a saber, as well as alternative shades of orange and blue that are visible at sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains. The aforementioned serpentine walls will also be included as patterns on their new uniforms, which can partially be seen below and will be fully unveiled in the coming months.
Photos via the University of Virginia.
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