ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College Director of Athletics Renee Carlineo unveiled the new visual identity for the Soaring Eagles athletics program on Wednesday, July 10. The comprehensive update includes new primary, secondary and tertiary logos, as well as new wordmarks and an exclusive font created specifically for EC Athletics.
                             
"The new Soaring Eagle logo honors the history and tradition of Elmira athletics, while moving us forward with a fresh and strong brand identity," said Carlineo. "We worked collaboratively across campus to bring the athletics visual identity closer to the existing College marks. The new Soaring Eagle remains true to the Purple and Gold, while integrating a font specific to the athletics program. Most importantly, it symbolizes a new era for Elmira College and EC Athletics."
 
Dallas, Texas-based design studio, Torch Creative, LLC – whose clients have included the National Hockey League (NHL), Good Year Cotton Bowl, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Louisiana State University (LSU) and Michigan State University among others – worked with College administrators, coaches and staff on the redesign efforts.

"It was truly an honor to assist Elmira College in a new athletic rebrand," stated Brad Bishop and Michael Thurman of Torch Creative, LLC. "Working with their athletic department was seamless and we enjoyed getting to know them. We hope this new brand identity serves them well into the future and we can't wait to see the new logos on all of the athletic items."
 
Elmira's previous mark was adopted in 1993 and has been used in various ways over the years. EC's new marks provide a fresh, exciting, and consistent brand that enhances the image, as well as the recognition, of the Soaring Eagles and the College as a whole.
 
The new Soaring Eagle logo has several new features, distinctive from the previous. The new Soaring Eagle has a face for the first time since the inaugural eagle was adopted in the 1960's. EC's new Soaring Eagle faces the right as a means of paying homage to the past but looking onward towards the future.  Additionally, the new Soaring Eagle incorporates a three-color scheme, as opposed to the traditional two-color scheme of previous logos.  While the new logo maintains the College's historic purple and gold colors, it now includes white as an accent color.
 
The new brand identity honors the history and tradition of the Elmira athletics program by incorporating the College's branded purple and gold color scheme, as well as integrating consistent lettering and numerals specific to the athletics program. The redesign brings the athletics visual identity closer to the existing College marks, which remain unchanged.
 
Soaring Eagles fans can expect to see the new marks on uniforms and apparel beginning immediately, while updates to EC's athletic venues, on campus and at the Murray Athletic Center, will be implemented over time. 
 
While the previous logo will become less visual, the mark will still be used in various materials paying homage to the accomplishments that were amassed during its time as the face of the athletics program.

Starting on Wednesday, July 10, fans will have the ability to purchase new Elmira College Athletics gear via an online team store by  clicking here. The store will remain open through the end of the day on Sunday, July 21. 
 
Elmira College Athletics Logo History

Late 1960's: Elmira College introduced for the first time its mascot to represent the athletics department, and interestingly enough, the mascot was the Golden Eagle. The 'Golden Eagle' was complete with feathers, a tail and most notably a face. It was positioned to face the right and incorporated just one color: gold.
Early 1970's: Upon learning that The College at Brockport was branded as the Golden Eagles, Elmira rebranded as the Soaring Eagles. The philosophy was to honor the Elmira region and the Southern Tier region of New York, which is known as the Soaring Capital of America. The 'Soaring Eagle' took on a much different look than the previous 'Golden Eagle' in numerous ways. This eagle now faced the left, did not possess any feathers and no longer had a face. It was two-tiered, with a block-style purple-colored eagle on the inside and surrounded by an identical gold eagle on the outside.
1993: With intercollegiate sports gaining momentum at EC, the College redesigned the previous logo to what you see today. This was an updated version of the previous logo, which embodied the same two-tier logo with the eagle facing the left but the designers implemented feathers on the wings, tail and created a more defined sharp-edged beak. This eagle could flip-flop its color scheme, but remained as a two-colored logo, utilizing only the College's branded purple and gold.
1993-2019: Although the Soaring Eagle stood the test of time, the low functionality of the mark prompted the creation of multiple variations of the logo throughout the years. The Soaring Eagle can be found inside the College's seal, interlocking 'EC' lettering, inside various shields and circular logo designs. These actions hampered Elmira's ability to create a strong and consistent brand for the athletics department, prompting the initiative to redesign in an effort to provide a comprehensive and solidified look.