UAB unveils new logos for university, medicine and athletics

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UAB
University of Alabama at Birmingham. (Jacob Blankenship / Bham Now)

On Monday, July 29, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) unveiled a new brand identity designed to reflect the universityโ€™s growth and increase brand recognition.

For the first time in UABโ€™s history, the university, medicine and athletics departments will share the same primary logo.

About UABโ€™s 2024 Brand Refresh

(UAB)
New logos for UAB, UAB Medicine and UAB Athletics. (UAB)

One major accomplishment of UABโ€™s new brand refresh is the establishment of a single, unified logo that will be consistent across all UAB entities:

  • The University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • UAB Medicine
  • UAB Athletics

โ€œAt the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), we are proud to unveil a refreshed visual identity that reflects our dynamic growth, commitment to excellence, and bold vision for the future.

UABโ€™s brand refresh is more than logos; it is designed to enhance the way we present ourselves to the world.

For the first time in our history we share a primary logo that will be used across university, medicine and athletics.โ€

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)
  • UAB
  • UAB

UABโ€™s new unified monogram features a cleaner design, complete with spaced lettering for improved legibility and recognition.

The brand refresh also includes minor changes to the beloved Blaze logo, including:

  • Replacing black accents with green
  • Updated dragon features, including teeth and ears
  • (UAB)
  • (UAB)

The brand refresh re-establishes UABโ€™s official colors as green and gold, with an updated color palette featuring a rich, darker green and a brighter gold.

In addition, UABโ€™s brand font has been updated from Avenir to Aktiv Grotesk, a modern sans-serif font chosen for its enhanced readability and contemporary look.

  • (UAB)
  • (UAB)

When will we see UABโ€™s new brand logos?

According to UAB, the new brand refresh will take place in three phases over several years.

Phase I | Announcement (July 2024)

  • Share update and first look at refreshed brand with key stakeholders and the public.

Phase 2 | Soft Launch (Fall 2024)

  • August 26th โ€“ Primary logos for university, medicine and athletics, along with spirit marks will be available for internal use.
  • Architectural signage for new buildings such as UAB Early Learning Center.
  • Student recruitment materials
  • Athletic touch points such as Protective Stadium scoreboard, football field, and menโ€™s basketball uniforms

Phase 3 | Full Launch (January 2025)

  • Launch of new brand and logo toolkit with full brand guidelines for university, medicine and athletics. Unit, school and college lock-ups will be available for download.
  • Coordinated profile image updates for official UAB social media accounts
  • Brand education workshops and trainings will be offered.
  • Former logos will officially transition to legacy logos. Only new logos will be approved in the marketing approval process going forward.

What do you think of UABโ€™s new brand identity? Which logos do you like more? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!

Nathan Watson
Nathan Watson

Senior Content Producer + Photographer

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