“We have incredible momentum on campus and this strong, modern mark highlights our evolution while also maintaining its tie to our rich tradition in athletics,” said UNLV President Len Jessup. “It also reflects a sense of place, highlighting features of Southern Nevada and capturing the pride we have in our community with a nod to the rebellious spirit of our region and university.”

Spirit Mark Refresh: Updated Athletic Logo Design In Denver

With the refresh, primary elements of the current mark were retained but modernized, building on the existing scarlet, gray, and black color palette and the arched UNLV. The cornerstone of the mark, Hey Reb!, gets a more active, progressive treatment through a profile that maintains his most notable features including his mustache, strong chin, and hat.

Among the new elements is the inclusion of an outline representation of the famous “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign, an exchange of Hey Reb!’s feather with a star design synonymous with Las Vegas, and stylized mountains to further tie the mark to the Southern Nevada region.

Work on the spirit mark began last fall and included an 11-member committee comprised of people representing constituencies from the Southern Nevada community and UNLV faculty, staff, alumni, students, and student-athletes. The committee partnered with Adrenalin, a design firm based in Denver that specializes in sports branding with a deep resume of collegiate, professional, and U.S. Olympic clients.

Adrenalin gained insight for its design through research and conversations with committee members, a national review of athletics marks and UNLV’s own historical changes to its mark, and from a quantitative survey of more than 1,000 students, student-athletes, alumni, and community members.

“The primary driver was modernization,” said Dan Price, president of Adrenalin. “Our research showed that students and alumni liked the old logo but felt it was a bit dated. We wanted to better tell the story of the university and make the mark unique to UNLV and Las Vegas, with the incorporation of the star and Vegas sign outline a big part of the process.”

A Successful Logo Redesign For UNLV

The refreshed logo is now the official spirit mark for UNLV Athletics and will be phased in on applications including digital communications, publications, field markings, and later on team uniforms and in athletics facilities.

“This mark embraces the energy of our region and represents the forward trajectory of UNLV and our athletics program,” said Desiree Reed-Francois, UNLV athletics director. “This refresh combines the best of our previous design with iconic Las Vegas imagery, and we appreciate the work of our colleagues over the past year on the project.”

Select apparel is available now in the UNLV bookstore and will be available in retail outlets later this summer. An update to the Hey Reb! mascot is also in development and will appear at athletics events this fall.

Since the introduction of Hey Reb! in 1982, the spirit mark and mascot for UNLV Athletics have been refreshed approximately every decade with updates in 1997 and 2006.

This article was originally published on the UNLV website by Tony Allen and Andy Grossman.