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The Akron Zips will sport a different look when the football team makes its 2022 debut at InfoCision Stadium on Sept. 1, and that’s not only because of new head coach Joe Moorhead. The Zips will also rock a new logo.
On Monday morning, Akron unveiled the university’s new athletic identity — a stylized ‘A’ which will serve as the primary brand for the Zips going forward.
New Brand. New Identity. Same Zips. #GoZips
— Akron Zips Athletics | #FindAWay (@AkronZips) May 9, 2022
Full Release https://t.co/By7vlnuTJG pic.twitter.com/n0xMLqvquI
Based on the video below, it appears the top serif in the ‘A’ was stylistically designed to form a ‘Z’ hidden inside the logo. With the addition of a new logo also comes a new, simplified all-caps font for the athletic programs, which can be seen in the logo above or throughout the following video.
University of @uakron Athletics Unveils New Logo and Unified Brand Identity. #GoZips
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) May 9, 2022
Full Release https://t.co/pmD0t5TIuB pic.twitter.com/frrU5f4InY
Also notable toward the conclusion of the video is the possible unveiling of updated uniform designs for several athletic programs, including football.
New Brand. New Identity. Same Zips. #GoZips
— Akron Football (@ZipsFB) May 9, 2022
Full Release https://t.co/pmD0t5C7D3 pic.twitter.com/chvZK78EKh
The Zips appeared to be in a branding transition last season when they noticeably ditched the ‘Z’ logo — which hadn’t been worn on a football helmet since 2018 — in favor of a script ‘Akron’. According to the logo timeline on Sportslogos.net, the stylized ‘A’ will serve as the Zips’ fourth different primary mark since 2015, following the kangaroo head, the ‘Z’, and the script.
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In a statement released by athletic director Charles Guthrie, this “jumble” of rotating logos over the past decade was addressed as a reason for the rebrand:
“One of the significant recommendations of last year’s University-wide Athletics Working Group — whose members included student-athletes, faculty, staff, alumni and community representatives — was to streamline UA’s athletic branding, which had become a jumble of no fewer than eight logos,” Guthrie said. “This new approach simplifies and aligns our identity across all settings, makes a statement about who we are, and will increase the impact of the Akron Athletics brand.”
Despite the disappearance of kangaroo and ‘Z’ imagery, Akron confirmed the Zips name and the university’s beloved mascot Zippy are here to stay.
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