Almost a century ago, Roger Babson, who was an alumnus of MIT, followed his alma mater’s lead and chose the beaver, nature’s industrious builder, to be the mascot of his new college.
Today, the college supports 22 varsity sports for more than 350 student athletes, plus programs on the club and intramural levels. And in addition to the mascot, now known as Biz E. Beaver, Babson Athletics has a logo. Although it’s unclear exactly when the logo first arrived, one of the earliest dates from 1981. It was updated in 1997 to make the beaver seem more competitive and fierce, and minor graphic changes were made in 2004 to respond to the community’s request for a friendlier image. But more than a decade later, the logo had become outdated; it didn’t align with the College’s brand, nor was it competitive with its athletics peers on a national level.
To determine what the Babson community might want in a more modern design, students were surveyed and feedback was solicited from alumni, faculty, and staff. The new design also needed to work effectively in all social media and on mobile devices and tablets, and reproduce well on Babson-branded products, including apparel.
The latest version of the logo was unveiled at a launch party this spring in the also-redesigned Roger’s Pub and Grille, where T-shirts, water bottles, and cookies with the refreshed identity were handed out. The new logo fulfills the mandate of being bold, exciting, and clean. “Babson Athletics generates such positive energy and enhances the college’s overall student experience,” says Lawrence Ward, vice president and dean of students. “I look forward to seeing our community engage with Athletics’ rebranded identity, and believe that it will complement the program’s ever-growing fan base.” —Sharman Andersen