Hobart and William Smith Colleges are coordinate colleges with separate athletic departments for men and women. With 23 varsity teams, the Statesmen and Herons have a tradition of excellence through performance in competition and scholarship. The brand identities of the Hobart Statesmen and the William Smith Herons have a storied history and, while they have evolved over the years, a universal style guide had not ever been comprehensively adopted for either department. In 2018, HWS set out to refresh both identity systems, contemporizing each to be competitive across the NCAA Division III landscape, bringing parity to two seemingly unrelated marks, and realigning each to reflect the values of the greater institution. After a year-long process, and in partnership with branding firm SME, Hobart and William Smith debuted new identity systems for the Hobart Statesmen and the William Smith Herons in August of 2019. The final marks align our visual athletic identities with the success of our athletes, coaches, and teams, while also representing the full scope of our community.
From the Judges
We were impressed with the success in bringing together two athletic brands in a way that maintained their distinctiveness but allowed them to work together in a complementary fashion. The graphics are fun and functional. The Instagram templates were a highlight of the style guides.
