With the addition of University of Nebraska, the Big Ten Conference is expanding to 12 teams, a move that inspired the league to unveil a new logo to be used for all sports beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.
According to ESPN, the logo was developed by Michael Bierut and Michael Gericke of Pentagram.
The logo’s lettering includes an embedded numeral ’10’ in the word ‘BIG,’ which allows fans to see ‘BIG’ and ’10’ in a single word.
The conference also announced today that its football divisions, starting with the 2011 season, will be “Legends” and “Leaders.” A breakdown of the divisions is listed below:
LEGENDS: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
LEADERS: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
“‘Legends’ is a nod to our history and to the people associated with our schools who are widely recognized as legends – student-athletes, coaches, alumni and faculty. ‘Leaders’ looks to the future as we remain committed to fostering leaders, the student-athletes who are encouraged to lead in their own way for the rest of their lives, in their families, in their communities and in their chosen professions,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany.
That may be, but talking sports heads don’t like it and they’re not alone.
Everyday Should Be Saturday says of the “B” in Big Ten, “Those are clearly boobs. In graphic design school the first rule taught to incoming students is be sure to put boobs somewhere in your design. People like boobs, even ladies and gay men. Boobs are the cornerstone of any design work, and a design that lacks them is not going to be liked or recognized as words by anyone.”
Previously on AdPulp: Three Time Zones Away, Fiercely Competitive Nevertheless