TheSabre.com's Fan Friday: Virginia Reveals New Brand Identity, Stirs Up Reactions From Hoos

Kris Wright

April 24, 2020 7

For Virginia fans expecting another mostly quiet Friday during the sports free days of the coronavirus pandemic, a mid-day announcement from broke the silence. UVA announced a new athletics brand identity with a revamped V-Sabre logo, a pair of secondary logos, and secondary colors included.

The official release page can be found here - make sure you read there and watch the embedded video below for some of the official department thoughts on the rebranding effort. A quick glance at the logos and video are here:

And with that, opinions started flying. While the reactions have been mixed, there’s been a strong initial tilt against the new brand identity. We’ve pulled a compilation of message board posts below, but these are just a small sampling of what’s been an ongoing wave of commentary on the boards so make sure you click over there to join the conversations. You can also see some other thoughts in this “Saturdays Down South” article with some Twitter replies embedded as well.

First, here are some message board posts that outline why some fans think the new brand misses the mark because it misses UVA’s identity as a whole.

Here are some longer posts diving more into the details of the new logos, new fonts, new numbers, and more.

And here are some shorter posts with thoughts on the whole thing, including both some who like some of the elements and some who don’t.

Plus, a couple that note the secondary blue looks too familiar (something Nike’s Todd Van Horne might say isn’t surprising since he was once quoted here as saying “People see that blue and they can’t think about anything but Carolina.”) or maybe too jocular, a nod to former Virginia President John Casteen's remarks about VT at one time.

A few others couldn’t help but think of previous Virginia moments of “unveiled” mascots and logos ...

Looking for just general reactions to the new brand identity reveal? Two threads with quick polls going can be found here and here. Or you can click our poll next.

What do you think of Virginia's new brand identity?

452 total votes

Stay tuned to the boards and site for more on the new brand identity. With that, let’s dive into the rest of TheSabre.com’s Fan Friday with a logo and CavMan theme. Why not, right!?!

Fan(s) Of The Week

The Block V!

Student Fan(s) Of The Week

Retro CavMan!

Feature Photo Of The Week

The real life CavMan leads the Hoos on to the field on his real horse Sabre.

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Sabre Polls Fan Friday Fan of the Week Student Fan of the Week Feature Photo of the Week New Brand Identity

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7 Comments

Besito April 28, 2020 at 10:51 AM ET

The new V is okay, I could live with it and own it, although the cleaner original is fine by me. It is so distinctive among college brands and fills me with pride whenever I see it on broadcasts. On the other hand, the shield is a hot mess. Anytime you have to explain to the FANS what it is, think about the joke it'll be outside of Wahoo nation. I didn't discern that it was a hat until the video explained it. And the feather is partially washed out by the orange background. So it's a no for for me, dawg. Next, let us take up the matter of That Hideous Thing ("THT") on the right. For real?????? What the hell *IS* that supposed to project? Is THT holding a rack of blackbuck horns or what? The whole design is cartoonish and amateurish. This is UVa, for crying out loud, a public Ivy. So here's an idea: Since the shield thing looks like a swirling toilet, can we put THT in it and flush them both? When I see stuff (think a stronger word) like this, it amazes me that the designers took money for this "work." These are folks who are supposed to understand the power of branding. So Nike, I ask you, would you mess with the swoosh? Doesn't anybody remember the disaster that was New Coke? Finally, this for Bronco: I much respect what you have done with the football program, but I radically and vehemently disagree with your comment at 0:09 of the video. The V with sabers is towards the end BECAUSE V IS TOWARDS THE END OF THE ALPHABET. And to me it stands out there just fine. I lied, that was not final. THIS is: "We Cavaliers" is God-awful. In addition to saying nothing positive, it is easily parodied as Ebonics, missing the be copula. Is THAT what we want to project? Madame AD, please reconsider this effect. There is time still yank this back. There is praise and glory to be had admitting this effort finds mounting and passionate rejection among the fan base. Foolishly insisting on ramming through these changes leads to ignominy.
gbeuva April 27, 2020 at 11:21 AM ET

These are hideous. The Cavalier looks like he is hanging his head in shame the way a Hokie would after being caught having sex with a sheep. In addition, why would we partner with Nike, the company that supports morons who piss on the flag?
12th Man April 25, 2020 at 8:28 PM ET

So as to give purely my own unadulterated opinion, I have avoided looking at any replies to the announcement. In my own unadulterated opinion, the new design is INFERIOR to the cleaner original design of 1994. The apparent attempt to make it fancier, or whatever the attempt was, is a complete flop. A change was TOTALLY UNNECESSARY. I hate cliches, including "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, if ever that cliche was appropriate, this is the right occasion. The original V-Sabres was a well thought out and nicely designed logo which looked impressive - damn good. This worthless redesign does absolutely nothing to improve that original design; in fact it WEAKENS the impression that the V-Sabres logo presents, and will especially do that at a distance, which is how the logo on uniforms is usually viewed. And the additional designs with the Cavalier hat are pathetic. They are wimpy. What good are they? Why was Nike asked to do this ? I have never cared for the Nike swoosh, or whatever it's called, and have never bought even a single product of theirs. To me, they are UNWORTHY OUTSIDERS who ought to be told, "HANDS OFF, SUCKERS!!!!" I guess I'll read some other replies now...
WoodstockCav April 25, 2020 at 5:30 PM ET

Why would anyone want a change? This is all wrong,new people think they have got to do something different,that is not always the right thing,our athletic dept has been doing well why screw it up.
BrooksbeatsVT April 25, 2020 at 1:55 PM ET

Thanks for the poll.....Some of the post are really funny but the reason is serious.....This whole logo thing was a (as we say)HUGH mistake.
Fitz-Hoo April 24, 2020 at 7:02 PM ET

Kris, if this is a "mixed" reaction, I'd hate to see a negative reaction.
1. Asheville Hoo April 25, 2020 at 10:39 AM ET
  
  EXACTLY what I came here to post. Thanks Fitz-Hoo. I think your poll already clearly reflects they are almost uniformly hated.