DAHLONEGA - The University of North Georgia athletic department has unveiled the final phase of its comprehensive branding initiative in collaboration with Rickabaugh Graphics. This phase introduces a refreshed NG logo designed to complement the Nighthawks' recently updated family of wordmarks. North Georgia will start implementing its enhanced athletics branding immediately with a phased rollout covering uniforms, facilities and digital spaces over the course of the 2024-25 season.

"Partnered with the institutional trajectory, we're excited to unveil our refreshed brand identity that embodies the spirit of innovation and excellence that has long defined our athletic programs," noted UNG Director of Athletics Mary Rob Plunkett. "This new look not only reflects our rich history, but also our commitment to pushing boundaries and achieving new heights. We look forward to continuing our tradition of success with this revitalized image, inspiring our athletes, fans and community alike."
 
The completion of the three-year project has resulted in a comprehensive visual asset library, ensuring a consistent and unified brand presentation across all sports. The new visual identity is designed to be functional across all licensing, linear and digital applications. The goal of the project was to create a cohesive athletics visual identity featuring a logo that complements with the department's wordmarks, offering familiarity while enhancing functionality and uniformity.
 
"Reaching the finish line of modernizing our visual identity is another important step in our pursuit of becoming the most competitive and value-added Division II school in the country," stated Senior Associate Athletic Director Lee Glenn. "The continued evolution of the Nighthawk identity in a familiar and historical manner was an important part of this process, but functionality, standardization and cohesion were the core guiding principles of this project. The wordmarks and monogram now pair with our overall athletics brand strategy that is consistent, bold and distinctive."
 
The updated staggered version was inspired by branding from North Georgia's first two and half decades of intercollegiate competition after athletics was re-introduced to campus in 1971. A staggered NG, or NGC for North Georgia College, was the institutional brand for athletics. The strength of the new brand comes from being rooted in history yet modernized with current fonts and marks with the offset and staggered positioning of letters mirrors the NG marks of old, before the stacked version was initially introduced in 1995 as an athletics logo.
 
Based near Columbus, Ohio, Rickabaugh Graphics boasts a portfolio that includes hundreds of collegiate clients such as the University of Iowa, Ohio State University, Indiana University, the University of Central Florida and pro sports clients including the National Football League (NFL) the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB). A staple in the creative brand industry since 1986, Rickabaugh Graphics' award-winning designs have helped unify brands across all levels of collegiate and professional sports.
 
"Rickabaugh Graphics feels extremely honored to have been a part of creating the new NG monogram for the North Georgia Nighthawks. We worked closely with the leaders at UNG and looked at many possibilities over a number of months," stated Eric Rickabaugh, Owner & Creative Director. "There was a strong desire from the very beginning of the process to have a fresh iconic brand that matched the athletic program's excellent reputation. The result is a rejuvenated brand image that is both memorable and powerful."