Duquesne University Athletics

Why did Duquesne Athletics decide to rebrand?
Duquesne Athletics visual rebranding was initiated to re-energize, modernize, distinguish and elevate the overall image of Duquesne Athletics locally, regionally and nationally as well as develop consistency in application. The project objectives included:

• Elimination of brand confusion by creating an identity system that is clear and distinct from the University as well as other athletics marks.
• Re-envision the brand by modernizing the identity system to appeal to key audiences and establish a more "Division I Athletics" feel.
• Timeless and forward-thinking system that is rooted in heritage but can evolve with emerging trends.

Outlined as a critical objective in the Duquesne Athletics Strategic Plan, the new visual identity system is the first phase of a multi-year process to completely rebrand Duquesne Athletics. Additional steps in the process include facility environmental graphics, video and digital branding, expansion of in-market merchandising and reimagining the Duke mascot.
 
Does this change impact the Duquesne University marks?
Duquesne Athletics rebranding will in no way impact the University branding. One of the primary objectives of the rebrand was to create a more distinct visual identity from the university and eliminate brand confusion between the revered gothic "D" and the athletics marks.
 
How did Duquesne Athletics arrive at this new visual identity?
After a thorough bid process, that included 14 agencies from across the Midwest and East Coast, athletics selected Interbrand Retail (acquired by Change Up on January 1, 2019) as the partner agency.*
 
The process was multi-phased, seeking to understand, create and activate the Duquesne Athletics Brand. Throughout each phase, Duquesne Athletics and Change Up engaged partners on campus as well as current and former student-athletes, coaches, Duquesne students, staff and alumni. The process also included feedback from apparel partner Nike.
 
Understand Phase
During this phase, Change Up conducted immersion work sessions with Duquesne athletics staff as well as key stakeholders to gain insight to current brand perception as well as to gauge future opportunities. Universally, it was expressed that a "revolution" was needed for Duquesne Athletics because the current brand was "generally unappealing, indistinctive and not focused on the next generation of fans." Additional feedback that guided the process included:

• The new identity should be clean, modern, instantly recognizable and distinctive.
• The traditional 'D' should be the starting point.
• The identity should maintain a connection to Duquesne's history, legacy and mission.
• Honor the past, but don't live in it.
• Identity should retain the red and blue colors.
• Look to the city of Pittsburgh to weave into the new identity.

The final aspect of this phase was to benchmark against competitors within the league, throughout the NCAA, within professional sports and throughout all industries. Three "Big Bets" drove the creative process:

• Make it modern: fashion-forward trendsetters.
• Build off three Brand Pillars: 1.) Competitive Excellence,  2.) Integrity and  3.) Pride.
• Give the Old Duke the Boot: Time for a facelift.

Create Phase
ChangeUp visited campus multiple times throughout this phase to develop and refine the new identity system. Key activities included:

• A co-creation session: a day-long work session with athletics staff members to identify the color scheme, tone and visuals of the new brand.
• Brand identity development and review: after creating three initial concepts, Change Up presented and sought feedback from four different focus groups that totaled over 40 people including current and former student-athletes, alumni, athletics board members, current Duquesne students and athletics staff members.
• Refinement:  pulling feedback from the focus groups, the new system pulled components of the three initial concepts to develop a single system.

Activate Phase
The final phase is current and ongoing. To date, Change Up has developed a complete brand guide for internal and external stakeholders and partners to share the vision and implement in a consistent fashion. Additionally, Duquesne Athletics will be collaborating with Change Up to workshop proper implementation of the new brand elements and develop creative ways to continue to evolve the brand visually, through merchandising and through the fan experience.
 
What is remaining the same and what is new?
A critical takeaway from the initial focus groups and key stakeholder conversations was the need to honor our past but not live in it. With that in mind, an important balance of the project was to identify what was sacred to our identity and what could be revolutionized or added to evolve with the times.
 
Through feedback from the alumni, student-athletes and the University the new brand is rooted in heritage by keeping the following components unchanged:

• Primary brand colors:  navy, red and white.
• Monogram-centric using the 'D' as the base.
• We are the Duquesne Dukes. While the visual representation of the Duke needs updating, changing our mascot in name should remain.

From there, creativity took over to evolve the brand to be bold, modern, distinct and fierce as well as careful to incorporate University and the city of Pittsburgh elements into the new brand. These components include:

• A simple, sleek, edgy monogram that is distinguishable from other athletic marks.
• A new wordmark for uniform and apparel application.
• An additional condensed wordmark in the "DUQ" that merges campus culture with national trends and better helps a new audience say our name.
• A reimagination of the Duke mascot (Phase II).
• A custom type-face called "The Bluff" that complements the monogram and pays homage to our unique geography.
• Two additional color options, electric blue and silver, to allow for fashion-forward design.
• Graphic elements that weave in our location in the heart of Pittsburgh.
• New visual branding for social media, print and digital graphics.

 
When can we start using the new system of marks?
The implementation of the new marks began on May 15, 2019. At that point, any representation of Duquesne Athletics in should feature the new marks. All artwork or apparel that is submitted with the previous identity system will be asked to be refreshed to the new identity system.
 
How quickly will the new branding be implemented?
Digital application of the new identity system and visual branding will began in May of 2019 with the intent that all Duquesne-hosted digital assets be converted immediately.
 
Duquesne Athletics is coordinating with local, regional and national media outlets to distribute and update the marks accordingly.
 
Fans will begin seeing the marks in athletics facilities, on apparel and uniforms in the Fall of 2019. The transition from the previous identity system to the new system will be done as budgets and yearly upgrades occur.

Why are we still seeing the old logos in some places?
The timeline of the brand refresh was identified to ensure the new marks would appear on Rooney Field and within the new UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Starting in March of 2019, athletics began systematically working to replace old logos with the new ones. The completion of this phase of the process will take a considerable investment and time. Each season will bring new opportunities to update marks. This will be a multi-year process.
 
The Duquesne University Barnes & Noble Bookstore will begin featuring products online and in stores within a few weeks of the launch with a full change over expected by the end of the 2019 calendar year.

Can Duquesne's club sports teams utilize the new marks?
Just as it was with the previous athletics marks, the club sports are encouraged to use these marks for consistency in branding. However, all teams must identify themselves as a "club" sport.
 
How can I purchase gear with the new marks?

Throughout the summer and fall, the Duquesne University Barnes & Noble Bookstore will be selling gear online and in store. Please visit the GoDuquesne Spirit Shop to purchase your new gear.
 
* Change Up Inc., the retail design consultancy, has acquired the retail design and architectural practice known as Interbrand Retail, from Interbrand, the world's largest branding agency and part of Omnicom Group (OMC). As of January 1st, 2019, talent and assets of both companies combined and operate under the name Change Up. Past clients of the strategy and design team included Buffalo Wild Wings, Best Buy, T-Mobile and Macy's among others. They also showed extensive experience within sports entertainment having worked with the world-renowned Juventus Football Club and as part of a larger, agency-wide team for FC Cincinnati.