Momentum was growing. Plans for success were beginning to deliver results: women’s softball catapulted into the World Series…new men’s basketball coach…exhilarating recruits… athletic center under construction...centennial celebration underway. When DePaul University decided last year to update its athletic logo for the first time in 30 years, it was part of an integrated plan to return all 15 of DePaul’s intercollegiate teams to a winning tradition.

Vice President for Student Affairs James R. Doyle, who spearheaded the marketing project, said DePaul’s goals were manifold: to bring attention to DePaul Athletics and the broader university, attract current students to intercollegiate sports, reconnect with alumni, increase merchandise sales and royalty income, and generate new season ticket sales, corporate sponsorships and athletic donations.

The result is a new Blue Demon for a new millennium, just what the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., DePaul’s president, wanted when he challenged the status quo in August 1998 and declared the day had come for a dynamic new Demon. The logo will be officially unveiled at "Midnight Madness" Oct. 15, when the men’s and women’s basketball teams scrimmage for the first time and students get their first look at the new Demon.

Response to the new logo already has been tremendous, particularly from merchandisers who have been very positive about its potential impact on the sports apparel market and DePaul’s revenues. The mere mention of DePaul updating its logo sparked an increase in the number of companies licensed to manufacture DePaul products. At last count, the list tallied 90.

DePaul began the process of updating its logo by hiring the best. The university selected the firm the pros use, SME Power Branding, a New York company that helps sports teams identify their market, articulate their brand and reach their audience with cutting-edge graphics.

"There is a shelf life on a logo and ours had expired," Doyle said of the former logo, a cuddly Demon sitting passively on a basket. "The logo didn’t mean anything anymore. Suppliers had moved away from the logo and were only using the word marks."

SME’s Christopher Marciani guided groups of DePaul students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans through a process that identified the traits that best describe today’s Blue Demons. Powerful… Revitalized…Resurgent…Fast. Then the designers took over. Many of them. Sketching. Resketching. Tweaking. Retweaking. From 80 sketches down to one.

Michael Brinkman, director of client services and sales at the Licensing Resource Group (LRG), in Holland, Mich., has been talking to licensees about DePaul’s new logo. He’s hearing good vibes. "There is a growing market for collegiate products, particularly in women’s apparel and youth products," he said. But competition is stiff from popular product lines by NASCAR, Tommy Hilfiger and pro wrestling.

Brinkman said the college market was No. 2 in sales in 1998, second only to the NFL. That hasn’t dampened Brinkman’s enthusiasm for DePaul’s merchandise. "Chicago is looking for a team, and this may be DePaul’s year."

A successful team is a key ingredient, but that’s not all. Brinkman said collegiate sales are driven more by fashion than by team allegiance. DePaul’s colors of royal blue, scarlet and black are hot right now, and that is good for business.

Marciani said some universities have increased royalty revenues 300 to 400 percent with new logos. DePaul’s goals are more modest.

Before the logo was unveiled publicly, several retailers committed to carrying the new DePaul merchandise. Follett’s, an independent bookstore chain that operates DePaul’s bookstores, was first in line and will carry an extensive selection in its campus stores, as well as offer products online, said store manager Chuck Booth. Lids shops will offer two cap choices in 16 stores, while Champs stores will carry hats and T-shirts in 10 Chicagoland locations. Brinkman reports that other retailers responded with cautious optimism and will make a final decision on whether to carry DePaul licensed merchandise based on early season results of the men’s basketball team.

Brinkman wasn’t surprised. "Many Chicago retailers took a bath on NBA merchandise because of Michael Jordan’s retirement and the NBA strike, so they had a large surplus of inventory," he said. "They need to be cautious."

Athletic Director William Bradshaw said there was comprehensive involvement in developing the new logo. "It was very important that we asked the student athletes and coaches what they wanted the logo to look like, what they wanted on their uniforms, what they wanted on their jackets," he said. "The new logo reflects the action, the power, the aggressiveness, the confidence with which they want to portray DePaul athletics."

Men’s basketball Coach Pat Kennedy summed it up: "I’ve only been here three years, but I can’t believe that there’s ever been a more exciting time at DePaul. The expansion of the Lincoln Park Campus, the rebirth of our men’s basketball program, our women’s softball team going to the World Series, the enrollment up over the highest level of any Catholic university in America. When you roll all the things that are happening at DePaul into one package, it’s an awesome package."

For more information on the new logo, or to see the new designs, visit http://newsroom.depaul.edu/Html/PressKitLogo/outerframe.html. To reach Marciani, call 212/924-5700, ext. 14; to reach Brinkman, call 616/395-0676, ext. 104.