COLORADO SPRINGS – With a sleek modern design that features a consistent look across its multiple levels of national events, USA Swimming today unveiled a series of new logos for its championship meets.
Conceptualized using actual underwater swimming photos that display the speed and power unique to the sport, the logos showcase the sport in a fresh, contemporary style. Moving away from the traditional profile freestyle logo design, the new portfolio features the various active motions athletes exhibit in the course of a championship meet.
In conjunction with the new marks, the Arena Grand Prix Series has been re-branded the Arena Pro Swim Series, Speedo Sectionals has replaced the name Speedo Champions Series and a new event, the Futures Championships, was created and required a logo.
“USA Swimming continues to grow – in record-setting membership numbers, with new meets to serve our athletes and by the coverage our events receive – providing the ideal time to modernize our identity,” says Chuck Wielgus, USA Swimming Executive Director. “By creating new appealing graphics, making them simpler to understand and building an aspirational continuum of competition, these marks better represent our sport to those who participate in it.”
Most notable in the marks is a visual five-star hierarchy connecting USA Swimming events into a “Championship Series,” ranging from Speedo Sectionals to the Phillips 66 National Championships, AT&T Winter National Championships and Open Water National Championships. This progression indicates the level of competition for each event and instills goal-setting for athletes to reach the next stage.
Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming
The new identity system will begin immediately with the Arena Pro Swim Series (#ArenaProSwim) stop in Austin, Texas, from January 15-17. The circuit features the world’s best swimmers competing across a six-event series on U.S. soil. USA Swimming received confirmation from the NCAA for the Arena Pro Swim Series title, so the meets will continue to feature the top high school, college and post-grad athletes competing within the same event.
“Using the Arena Pro Swim Series name makes it immediately recognizable to fans and media that our sport’s absolute best athletes are racing in the hometowns of swimmers and sports fans,” said USA Swimming National Team Director Frank Busch. “At the same time, anyone who posts a qualifying time is eligible, just as it has been, so it creates a unique opportunity for high school and collegiate swimmers to challenge themselves against top competition. In many ways, it’s like playing in the same game as LeBron James or a Tour event with Tiger Woods.”
Debuting in 2015, the Futures Championships will provide more up-and-coming swimmers with season-ending championship racing opportunities. The event name signifies the competitors are the future of the sport, athletes who aim to qualify for the Speedo Junior Nationals.
USA Swimming also formally modified the name to Speedo Sectionals from the Speedo Champions Series, as most in the sport referred to the events with that title. There will be more than 20 such entry-level Championship Series events nationwide in 2015.
The logos were designed by Minneapolis, Minnesota, advertising agency Colle+McVoy, in conjunction with a working group of USA Swimming staff members. Early versions of the logos were examined by focus groups at the 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championships and at various USA Swimming clubs in Colorado.
Arena Pro Swim Series
Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming
“As a company wholly committed to the sport of swimming, Arena is proud to again present fans across the nation with the opportunity to see the best swimmers in the world, right in their hometowns,” said Vice President and General Manager of Arena North America Tim McCool. “The rebranding efforts around the Arena Pro Swim Series seek to reinforce that message, and grow the sport of swimming at the grassroots and elite levels.”
AT&T Winter National Championships
Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming
“Our history with the AT&T Winter National Championships takes on a new chapter today as USA Swimming unveils this dynamic visual representation,” said Andrea Jones, associate director, Corporate Sponsorships at AT&T. “We look forward to our continued relationship with USA Swimming, an organization that makes it easy for us to mobilize the passions of its athletes and fans.”
Phillips 66 National Championships
Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming
“The Phillips 66 National Championships is one of the premier sports events annually, with incredible interest from swimmers, fans and families,” said Terry Hunt, Sr. Advisor, Corporate Reputation & Brand. “We’ve been a proud sponsor of USA Swimming for more than 40 years, and this new logo showcases the event’s rich history and tradition, and extends its appeal to new fans.”
Speedo Sectionals, Junior National Championships
Photo Courtesy: USA Swimming
“Competing in Speedo Sectionals and Juniors are key milestones as swimmers progress onto the national stage,” said Brian Basye, Director of Team Marketing & Sales at Speedo. “The star system represents the ‘badge of honor’ swimmers feel, and honors the hard work and dedication each swimmer puts in to reach the next level. The swimming community is at the heart of the Speedo brand and we are dedicated to supporting national, junior and emerging athletes in reaching their goals.”
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