For the 2022-23 season, the Strategic Brand Management team introduced “Hail to the Orange” as the brand direction. “Hail to the Orange” is the beginning line to the University’s Alma Mater. Our goal was to bring back a sense of pride and tradition that had been lost within our brand. This phrase is something that our alumni and student-athletes would immediately recognize, but would also be a rally-cry for our recruits.
Survey Says...
The Social Media team conducted a survey with questions regarding the Illinois Athletics brand and creative. This survey was posted on the Illinois Athletics’ social media channels and received over 1,000 submissions. The voice of our fanbase was a key part of our branding decisions.
Favorite Design Element: Orange | Core Feature Reflecting Brand: School Pride + Tradition | How to Improve Identity: Consistency
According to the survey, “Hail to the Orange” reflects feelings of allegiance and nostalgia.
Inspiration
For design inspiration, we studied old Illinois football posters and designs of the 1960s and 1970s. We wanted to use our artistic backgrounds and reflect the ruggedness, blue-collar mentality and physicality of the Fighting Illini with textures and irregularities. Screen-printed posters, a printing process also popular at that time, was key inspiration in our work. The “throwback” look is very popular with our fanbase, and our script logo has been widely adopted by our sports after its debut with men's basketball. By mixing these classic elements with modern photography and fonts, we aimed to create a brand that can be accepted by everyone, from our oldest alum to our newest recruit.
Photoshoots
The backdrop we built for our photoshoots was constructed by hand, reflecting back to the values rooted within our University of grit and hard work. We purchased a Cricut where we cut handmade icons and logos that are specific to our program. These elements were then pressed onto the vinyl and hung. We created specific elements for football and basketball that were swapped for their photoshoots. Our photos were shot at a low and dynamic angle to show the true action of the sport and the athleticism of our student-athletes.
Hail to the Orange
Hail to the Orange
Behind the Scenes: Creating the photoshoot backdrop and capturing video and reel footage for the launch
Every sport account posted a special graphic on the day of the launch. Graphics created by Travis Perry.
Schedule poster examples
Brand Recognition + Promotion: Our logo was painted around campus to promote the “Hail to the Orange OUT” football game where fans were encouraged to wear orange. We also partnered with local retailer, Gameday Spirit, to sell a limited edition shirt featuring our photoshoot background icons. Photos by Al Campion.
Template Creation
Once our brand guide was finalized, we spent a couple of weeks creating graphic templates. This served the purpose of being prepared for various requests we receive throughout the season, and to also maintain consistency among all of our Olympic sports.
