CLEVELAND — In conjunction with the start of the new year, the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A) unveiled a new logo as part of an organizational brand unification effort.
 
"The N4A is excited to take the next steps in its evolution with the professionalization of our brand," said Ursula Gurney, N4A President and Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA, University of Missouri-Kansas City. "Our goal has been for our logo and brand to better reflect our growing identity, and to ensure we make a visible mark within the space of collegiate athletics. Our new visual identity will provide for us consistency, creativity and visibility, all the while allowing us to strengthen our community and better connect our membership."
 
The updated brand and color scheme was developed by N4A in partnership with Old Hat Creative, a sports marketing firm based in Norman, Okla. Old Hat worked to establish a creative platform and strengthen the brand identity of N4A, as the Association continues to serve as the premier resource for athletics administrators in the academic and student-athlete development space.
 
"Having worked for nearly 20 years creating brands and identities for athletics programs and focusing on the marketing side of athletics, it was an honor to be asked to partner with N4A and be involved on the academic and student-athlete development side," said Zac Logsdon, CEO/Founder, Old Hat Creative. "Using the solid bones from N4A's existing logo, we were able to refresh the look with a new color scheme and visual approach that should serve the organization well in achieving its mission of serving student-athletes."
 
The new logo retains blue as its primary color in an alternate shade, helping to keep existing brand equity in place. The new dark blue serves as a professional hue inspiring security and trust in the organization.
 
The addition of orange as a secondary color projects confidence, success and friendliness, and is the color most likely to appeal to a younger generation. Keeping in mind the two main groups that engage with the N4A brand are young professionals and student-athletes, the Association believes this scheme will represent N4A well. Furthermore, the "hill" that appears in the new N4A lockup creates a horizon line, indicating that the Association is about preparing student-athletes for what is ahead of them.
 
Since 2013-14, when N4A officially moved under the umbrella of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Association has undergone a multitude of changes, including a name change from The National Association for Academic Advisors of Athletics, as well as increasing membership to over 2,460 members today.
 
The strengthened N4A brand is prominently featured on the N4A website, Member Community, and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube).
 
About N4A: N4A, which has been in existence since 1975, is a diverse educational service and professional non-profit organization. Membership of N4A includes academic support and student services personnel who are committed to enhancing opportunities for academic, athletics and personal success for student-athletes. For more information on N4A, visit www.nfoura.org. N4A is administered by NACDA, which is in its 56th year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.