NOTE: The new CoSIDA logo can be found in the LOGO DATABASE on this website, CoSIDA.com - look under "CoSIDA 2009" in the logo SCHOOL database for the 4-color and black/white versions.
If you cannot access it there, please contact Barb Kowal (barbkowal@cosida.com) for assistance; the logo also will be emailed to each member of the Board of Directors and each main PR contact at all DI, DII, DIII conferences for distribution as well.
MADISON, Wisc.- The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the 2,500 member national organization of collegiate athletics communicators and sports public relations professionals, today unveiled the first phase of a new strategic branding and integrated marketing campaign. This branding initiative includes a new organizational logo and professional mission tagline.
As part of its new strategic emphasis and direction, CoSIDA is replacing its former logo, a blue and white design with the words “CoSIDA” embedded in a replica of a laptop computer. CoSIDA’s new logo features a three-color scheme (blue, gold, red) with the definer being the organization’s first-ever branding tag line "Strategic Communicators for College Athletics."
CoSIDA’s shift in identity is the result of extensive communications (conducted by the organization’s leaders) with prominent collegiate communications and PR leaders and with other management groups in intercollegiate athletics.
CoSIDA has adopted a strategic plan for the first time in the organization’s and profession’s history. In 2008, new Executive Director John Humenik and the CoSIDA Board of Directors developed the strategic platform, and this extensive plan was adopted by the membership during CoSIDA’s 2008 national convention held in Tampa.
In developing a new brand and visual identity for CoSIDA, the first priorities were to unveil a new logo with different colors and a unifying strategic tagline (Strategic Communicators for College Athletics). This new branding was to more clearly define the primary role and resources that CoSIDA and its professional members fulfill in today’s multi-faceted communications environment within intercollegiate athletics.
The new CoSIDA design utilizes sleek, circular connecting shapes, emphasizing progression, movement, motion and connection. This new logo incorporates the notion of forward-thinking communications and technology woven with history (keeping the long-time “CoSIDA” wording prominent in the new design). This new design emphasizes CoSIDA’s fundamental and prominent interconnected role within intercollegiate athletics, demonstrating CoSIDA’s commitment to promote, advise and support collegiate student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
This new logo was recommended by a Board-appointed CoSIDA Strategic Branding Initiative Committee, chaired by CoSIDA First VP Larry Dougherty (Temple University). Dougherty presented the new strategic branding logo to the CoSIDA Board on a Nov. 5th teleconference and it was approved and adopted unanimously.
The committee included other CoSIDA Board members as well as the Presidents and chairs of other divisional groups within the CoSIDA organizational umbrella.
In addition to Dougherty, other committee members were Rich Herman (Clarion), President of D II-SIDA; Bill Wagner (DePauw), President of D III-SIDA; Sam Ghrist (Eastern Oregon), President of NAIA-SIDA; Rob Knox (Kutztown), President of BC (Black College)-SIDA; Ann King (Sage Colleges), President of FAME (Female Athletics Media Relations Executives); Eric McDowell (Union College, NY), Chair of CoSIDA’s College Division Management Advisory Committee; Charles Bloom (SEC), Chair of CoSIDA’s University Division Management Advisory Committee; Rod Williamson (Vanderbilt), Chair of CoSIDA's Senior Athletic Communications Committee; and Nick Joos (Baylor) and John Paquette (Big East) of the CoSIDA Board. John Humenik and Barb Kowal, CoSIDA’s Director of External Affairs, also participated.
The next phase of CoSIDA’s strategic branding initiative will be the unveiling of an updated and re-designed website which will take place at the beginning of 2010.
“As CoSIDA moves forward with our first-ever strategic plan and branding initiative, we needed a new logo that represented our clearly changing future while still paying homage to our past,” noted CoSIDA President Justin Doherty, Wisconsin assistant AD for media relations. “Since we are a 52-year old organization of communications leaders, we believe the circular movement of this new design, with our ‘CoSIDA’ name in the center, does a terrific job of tying our new image of progressive and strategic communications into our history.
"The circular motion to the right is meant to represent our future – modern, sophisticated, and forward moving," said Doherty. "And, we are particularly pleased that our newly-adopted branding message which describes our work and mission - ‘Strategic Communicators for College Athletics’ – is an important part of our logo design and a point of emphasis.”
CoSIDA held a national contest to solicit ideas for its new logo. The winning logo concept was designed by Dan May, Sports Information Director at Marietta (OH) College in conjunction with G. Ryan Zundell, Marietta’s College Relations art director and former student assistant Christina Moritz.
“The CoSIDA Board was very impressed with the logo redesign work of the Marrietta creative team,” noted Doherty. “Dan and Ryan also are creating logos in specific color palettes for all digital, broadcast and print media applications. We sincerely thank them for their efforts. They truly understood the mission and forward movement of CoSIDA and gave us a visual identity which accurately reflects CoSIDA now – an organization of proactive communicators.”