Emerson’s athletic department officially unveiled its new logo on the floor of the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym in a ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 24. 

This is the first logo specifically for athletics at Emerson. Creating a cohesive emblem and brand for the department was one of new athletic director Patricia Nicol’s early priorities when she arrived last year, according to an earlier interview with the Beacon.

“It’s a new era,” said Stanford Nance, the senior associate director of athletics. “It starts on the floor here. The next thing is it will start going on our uniforms, and we’ll get it around the department. Our teams will be more unified now.”

Junior soccer player Ryan Carino, who transferred from Merrimack College this fall, agreed with Nance.

“[The logo] separates the student athletes from the rest of the school,” said the marketing communication major. “We don’t want to be different, but we do want something that’s our own.”

The Athletic Trust Fund, furnished largely by former student-athletes, provided the department with the funding to put the logo on the floor, according to Nance. He said there will be a plaque in the gym to recognize the fund’s help.

The design will show up in other parts of Boston, too, including at Rotch Playground in the South End. Several of Emerson’s teams play at the field, which is owned by the city of Boston.

“We started here because we own this facility, but eventually we’ll get it to Rotch,” said Nance. 

Carino said he is looking forward to seeing the logo there.

“It would give us a sense of pride having it at our home field,” he said. “It would liven up the field and make it truly ours—not only for the soccer program, but for the school.”

Each team’s uniforms are updated every four years. Currently, their gear is provided by different brands, but Nance said the college decided to choose just one provider for its new garments. They will all be made by Nike, Nance said, and bear the new logo.

Nance said he believes the logo will also serve to unify the student body with the athletics department. After fierce criticism forced the department to withdraw its original logo design, administrators decided to let members of the Emerson community design and vote on a refined mark. Voters selected a revised design by Phoenix Design Works.

“The next step is to start pushing the bookstore, and getting gear in there,” he said. “That way, any student from Emerson, not just athletes, can walk into the bookstore and get some athletic gear with the logo on it.”