MAC ON SPORTS: CCIW UNVEILS BOLD, REVITALIZED IDENTITY WITH NEW LOGO

BY J. THOMAS McNAMARA

The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) is excited to unveil a bold, revitalized identity to kick off the 2021-22 academic year.
     The CCIW partnered with New Jersey-based Skye Design Studios (SDS  – sdsbranding.com), a national leader in sport branding, to develop a modernized look for the conference.

        With the help of SDS, the conference now has a new logo system – composed of core, sport-specific, and member-specific marks – a designated font family, and updated color scheme that introduces ‘CCIW Blue’ to the original black and steel gray palette.

        Beginning in November of 2020, SDS engaged with the CCIW office, student-athletes, coaches, and administrators from all nine conference institutions for this initiative. During the Discovery Phase of the project, membership identified the conference’s strengths to be: broad-based and competitive athletic opportunities; high academic standards; and significant community engagement, all of which position the CCIW as a national power within NCAA Division III.

         The brand unveiling comes at a great time for the conference and its member institutions,” said CCIW Executive Director Maureen Harty. “We just completed our 75th year, and as we come out of this pandemic it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate a new chapter for the CCIW. Working with Skye Dillon and his team was a great experience, and we are very happy with the rejuvenated look and extensive set of designs they created. It was important to maintain a tie to our rich history while also establishing an exciting and meaningful identity driven by our mission and core values. SDS hit a home run with this project.”

            The CCIW’s new primary mark was designed to convey power and purpose. A bold horizontal line splits the iconic ‘CCIW’ initials as an abstract tribute to the shared border connecting Illinois and Wisconsin. Two steel bars above and below represent strength, and the addition of ‘CCIW Blue’ to the original black and steel gray color palette gives the mark depth, energy, and the look of a power conference.

       The Decatur Tribune will have more on this developing story in a future print edition.