Troika Design Group has teamed up once again with ESPN to rebrand the network's College Football franchise. The new identity debuts this fall and is being ushered in concurrently with ESPN's landmark acquisition of exclusive rights to the Bowl Championship Series. This effort is the latest in a long line of projects the branding agency has developed for ESPN, and builds on its heritage of conceptually-driven ESPN graphics packages, including SportsCenter, Monday Night Football and College Basketball.
The package centers around the concept "Mania," a frenetic visual interpretation of the excitement and anticipation surrounding the College Football season. Viewers are taken on a visual journey through an Escher-esque world of descriptive typography and iconic visuals inspired by the game. The rebrand, which included logo design, opens, transitions and title sequences, was designed to evolve with the College Football season, culminating with elements created specifically for each of ESPN's five BCS games.
Troika's experience launching large-scale sports branding packages with ESPN allowed the agency to produce creative reaching beyond the immediate deliverables list, ultimately serving as the foundation for ESPN's College Football marketing campaign. This foundation was designed with an amalgam of unpredictable elements and camera moves to keep the College Football identity fresh throughout the 2010-2011 season and seasons to come.
"We are extremely fortunate to team up with ESPN again and work on such a massive, conceptually-driven package," noted Creative Director Gil Haslam, who led Troika's creative for the College Football rebrand. "To create the identity and push the boundaries behind such a well respected franchise was a great challenge and opportunity for us."