BOSTON – Embracing its rich history while simultaneously preparing for unparalleled future success, the America East Conference today unveiled a transformative new brand identity. The revamped look centers around a dynamic and powerful primary mark that boldly accentuates the conference's name as well as a compelling narrative built on the core values of unity, toughness and unyielding resolve.
 
"Our new brand identity makes a bold statement about the character and commitment of our student-athletes and the tenacity of our member institutions," said America East Commissioner, Brad Walker. "College athletics finds itself in an incredibly dynamic time, but through a true collaborative process, the America East has come together to showcase itself as a well-established and tightly knit league ready to differentiate itself within the college landscape. I'd like to thank the America East Conference Board of Presidents for spearheading a conference assessment exercise that resulted in new brand identity that is distinctly ours and showcases our greatness."
 
The conference's new tagline "Where Champions Rise" recognizes America East's determined and relentless student-athletes, whose drive to succeed represents the work ethic synonymous with the conference's Northeast region footprint.
 
The new mark includes a bold font that clearly and proudly declares the conference name, America East. The shield design indicates strength and emphasizes the conference's tight-knit geography along the I-95 corridor. The star and Americana color scheme are an ode to the conference's roots as well as its expansive and successful 45-year history.
 
"The America East Conference consists of high-quality academic institutions committed to excellence and remarkable student-athletes who work tirelessly every day to succeed athletically and in the classroom," said University of Maine President and Chair of the America East Board of Presidents, Joan Ferrini-Mundy. "Their efforts leave an indelible imprint on their campus communities and the new America East brand identity perfectly aligns with what they are striving for and who we are as academic institutions."
 
As part of the conference rebrand, the new mark and color scheme will begin appearing on all conference content and collateral immediately, including a new-look official conference website, americaeast.com, that was developed in partnership with SIDEARM Sports. A soft implementation will take place on campuses this winter and spring with a full integration launching for the 2024-25 academic year.
 
The new brand positioning and visual identity was developed in partnership with Legend Labs, a leading brand and communications consulting firm. The collaborative process began in 2022 and was influenced by a diverse range of stakeholders, including Presidents, Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, marketing and communications experts, student-athletes, and alumni.
 
"It's not an easy task to have so many stakeholders come to consensus regarding a new conference brand," said University at Albany Director of Athletics, Mark Benson. "The process led by Legend Labs was extremely thorough, thought provoking, and included conference leadership, student athletes, coaches, and administrators. The end result captures the essence of the America East story in an exciting and fresh manner."
 
America East has excelled as an elite Division I athletic conference since 1979. Recent athletic success is highlighted by the greatest upset in NCAA men's basketball tournament history (UMBC, 2018), individual national champions in track & field, top-ranked teams in men's and women's lacrosse and deep NCAA championship runs in several sports, including Final Four berths in field hockey (UAlbany, 2014), men's soccer (UMBC, 2014) and men's lacrosse (UAlbany, 2018) as well as a College World Series appearance.
 
Conference membership consists of a collection of top academic institutions in the country tied together by a tight-knit geographic footprint in the Northeast. The conference, which is comprised primarily of public institutions dedicated to research and boasts five Carnegie R1 institutions and two R2 schools, is one of the most prolific collections of universities in the country.
 
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference its social media channels, @AmericaEast.