JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | After nearly a quarter century, New Jersey City University is officially unveiling a new athletics brand identity, introducing a set of robust spirit marks and rebranding its athletics department as 'Jersey City's Team', the university announced on September 4. 
 
The year-long process has culminated with new primary, secondary and tertiary logos, as well as new 'Jersey City', NJCU' and 'Gothic Knight wordmarks and sport-specific marks. The primary new logo is a modern Knight head with a dropped  'JC' as the alternate primary mark.
 
Additionally, the project has strengthened the school's color palette and  typography structure, featuring an enhance green and gold primary set of colors, with gray and black as accent colors. Custom uniform numbers were developed and a comprehensive style guide was created to ensure consistent use of the athletic department's logos across a wide variety of applications. NJCU will adopt Russo One as its primary athletics font.
 
Combined with the JC logo and Jersey City wordmarks that embodies Jersey City's urban hip culture, NJCU will introduce a new tagline and be formally known as 'Jersey City's Team', as the university recognizes its roots in the city of Jersey City. NJCU is the only public, four-year institution in the second largest city in the state and the city's trajectory and momentum make it a destination for dramatic economic growth.
 
The launch of the NJCU Gothic Knight spirit marks is designed to create a sense of community and pride, and to build the foundation for a strong base of support for NJCU Athletics—which mirrors the city of Jersey City for its standing as one of the fastest growing athletic programs in NCAA Division III. 
 
Shawn Tucker, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, said: "We are in an exciting new era in the history of New Jersey City University Athletics and today we are thrilled to officially unveil our new identity and spirit marks to the NJCU and Jersey City community. The development of our new identity was a year-long process that included stakeholders from the administration, coaches, student-athletes, community members and alumni. Over the past quarter century, there have been multiple variations of the NJCU and Gothic Knight marks. This project is a major step in elevating the Jersey City athletics brand with a consistent and strong visual identity."
 
As part of the evolution, all NJCU athletic teams will sport new uniforms this season, beginning this fall with the men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's golf and men's and women's cross country programs. New merchandise is available at the campus bookstore and will soon be available in NJCU's athletic online team store. The lobby of the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) has been overhauled in a rebranding initiative designed to enhance recruitment efforts and school spirit.
 
The previous primary logo was introduced in the 1980s and evolved in the 1990s to include a shield when the institution transitioned from Jersey City State College to New Jersey City University. At that time, a green NJCU logo with a descending J and a gold underscore was introduced as a secondary logo. Over the past decade, the Knight head, rather than the full logo and shield was often utilized due to the complexity of the full logo.
 
The previous logo may be found in some pre-existing historic displays, including the robust athletics Hall of Fame at the JMAC and championship banners, but will be phased out in all other usages.
 
"It is with great excitement that we fully introduce our new athletic marks and branding initiative," said Ira Thor, Assistant Director of Athletics for Strategic Communications and Marketing. "As we work collectively to build new traditions at NJCU, our athletics brand identity provides a freshness and consistency among all of our Gothic Knight programs and enhances the image of NJCU and the university as a whole. Furthermore, our new slogan, 'Jersey City's Team' embraces our history—past, present and future—with the city of Jersey City. We look forward to continuing to be embraced by our community in the years to come."
 
The new identity was developed in partnership with Joe Bosack & Co., a national brand consulting and graphic design agency that has a diverse portfolio of both collegiate and professional sports teams.
 
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