A Brand Revival:
Hamilton Southeastern Sports
The new ferocious face of the Hamilton Southeastern High School Royals
“Our identity was fragmented; it lacked the presence a class 5A high school athletics program ought to project.”
-Greg Habegger, Hamilton Southeastern Athletic Director 
Big Stakes
Brainstorm has branded many sports teams, venues, and organizations over the years: The Indianapolis 500, the U.S. Grand Prix Formula 1 race, the Brickyard 400 and 3M Performance 400 NASCAR races, the Disney 200, Conseco Fieldhouse, the NCAA Hardwood Cafe, RCA Dome, soccer associations…and now, the local high school?
Professional and college sports programs have become increasingly aware and protective of brand equity and the revenue it generates. High school sport programs that “borrow” identity elements in part or in whole from collegiate or professional teams often meet with threats of litigation.
Big Vision
With that in mind, and a desire to create an identity that transcended standard high school fare, Hamilton Southeastern High School’s athletic director, Greg Habegger, tapped Brainstorm to create the new Royals identity system.
Redesigned all-sports program cover and football helmet—click to see larger view.
The Brand Audit
Brainstorm reviewed Hamilton Southeastern High School’s (HSE) brand identity and found a pencil rendering—loosely based on a piece of clip art—being used in a myriad of graphic styles in more than 15 interpretations to depict the Royal’s lion mascot, “Roarie.”
The artwork was too soft and detailed to reproduce properly at smaller sizes and across various mediums. But even more importantly, Roarie was not fearsome-looking but rather passive and friendly.
“Brainstorm’s branding elevated our Royals identity to a professional or collegiate level.”
-Jim Self, Hamilton Southeastern Athletic Director
What’s in a Name?
Hamilton Southeastern High School Royals is a mouthful to say. Taking a cue from fans who generally refer to the school teams as the Royals, Southeastern, or HSE, we opted to drop the county name, Hamilton, in conjunction with the school’s athletic team identities.
Branding 101
Unlike professional team identities which are designed for a single sport, out of necessity, we approached the project more like a collegiate mark needing to encompass many sports. The identity needed to be flexible enough to allow for individual sport identification while retaining a strong core brand identity. We designed a system that worked as a family based on the core mark above.
Broad-based Deliverables
Brainstorm created a media cd and usage guidelines to assist the athletic directors in managing the brand rollout. We also re-graphicized the gymnasium floor, created back-lit dimensional entryway signs to the Royals sports complex, and designed a variety of logowear apparel.
In addition, we created over 35 logomark variations to give individual sports a unique identity within the Royals brand.
To see more brand deliverables click to play.
Between booster clubs, coach’s and team apparel, sports venues, signage and the like, a large high school has nearly as many branding needs as a collegiate program. (Trust us on that.) The rebranding effort began in December, 2005 and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
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March 31st, 2008 at 2:05 am
Great post and excellent rebranding effort. I really enjoyed reading the considerations that go into evolution of a brand (especially one that has such emotional and lasting value as a Athletics program).
-Avinash.
(PS: Of the ancillary images I think my favourite was the basketball one. Perhaps becuase it added more color to the logo, beyond the blue, gray and white.)
March 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am
@Avinash Yes, the school colors being a given, the basketball iteration ranks among my favs as well - for just that reason. Maintaining a limited color palette is often a function of pragmatics, i.e., print/screen costs, and the like.
Of particular interest, to me, was discovering along the way that athletic directors, coaches, boosters and other constituents function not unlike corporate product managers, i.e., seeking differentiation for their given sport (product).
Just like anyone else the various people representing different brand needs were very invested and—as you noted—emotionally, as much or more so than corporate brand managers.
We endeavored to accommodate them all, yet maintain that core brand identity. Always a delicate task.
Thanks for stopping by and adding a little ‘analytical’ value to boot.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:20 pm
How mcuh does something like this cost? We’re looking to do the same thing at our school
April 1st, 2008 at 1:29 pm
It is refreshing to see the thought and detailed attention being applied to a high school level logo. High school is the place where identity, loyalty, and definition begin. I like the crisp lines, and “Roarie” does indeed look more intimidating!!
April 1st, 2008 at 2:24 pm
@Mary Ellen Roarie: I cower in fear each and every time I look upon his fearsome visage. ;) Thanks for stopping by and lending your perspective.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Very nice! Well done rebranding effort.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:47 pm
@tony Hey, thanks. Glad you think so. It’s been very well-received by the community at large… which is preferable to the alternative. :)
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Cool! Great work.
May 19th, 2008 at 10:14 am
As an HSE supporter and parent, I stumbled across this and find it quite interesting. I am curious though, why only athletics was considered in the rebranding. As a booster board member (not athletics, though) I am curious if any thought was given to assisting other HSE organizations with implementing this logo in their program — such as band, choral, dance, drama, etc — to further extend the brand’s value across the entire school, rather than just athletics?
July 31st, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Great stuff excellent rebranding.