— Have Fun Out There
Academy Sports + Outdoors
MY ROLE
Creative Direction
Brand Refresh
Icon Design
Guidelines
Campaign Design
Print Collateral
YEAR
2019—2023
AWARDS
Austin Advertising Federation ADDY Awards:
2023 - Silver - Integrated Brand Identity Campaign
2023 - Bronze - Illustration Series
CLIENT
Academy Sports + Outdoors
PROJECT TEAM
Creative Agency: Guerilla Suit
Brand Strategy: Jenn Billiot, Hannah Young
Account Team: Hannah Young, Julie Warenoff
Designers: Mike Tabie, Luigi Maldonado
OVERVIEW
Academy Sports + Outdoors has an 80+ year legacy as every Texan’s hometown sports and outdoors retailer. Having expanded their footprint beyond Texas to over 270 stores across 18 states, their growth was off the charts but the brand hadn't caught up. The disconnect was real and so was the impact on their brand equity.
This design system overhaul is the result of a multi-year journey of transformation that brought the Academy brand back into the game, bigger and stronger.
:30s brand video in collaboration with Nomad
To showcase what Academy is all about, a collection of illustrated items and activities was created. This assortment of illustrations can be used independantly or all together arranged into a large mural to embody Academy's mission to "Provide Fun for All".
From wayfinding to value-adds, a redesigned icon library strengthens Academy's brand presence in both digital and on in-store signage.
A key component of the refresh is an updated suite of typography to give the brand a much clearer and sharper voice in communcations.
Leading that charge is Equip Slab, by Hoftype.
With its sporty and playful personality, Equip Slab is used for brand messaging aimed at making a personal connection with the customer.
Ringside, from Hoefler, was chosen to handle the informative and funcational brand communications for the brand. Based on nineteeth century sans serif wood types, Ringside is a dependable and versatile type family.
The typeface, Stash, by J Foundry, is an expressive font reminiscent of a traditional brush lettering script. It is used sparingly in the new system to add emphasis to indivdual words and short phrases.
Simple, impactful messaging lockups using the new type system add an energetic tone of voice to any application. The badges cover a range of messages from overarching brand statements to department-specific calls to action.
Abstracted textures and designs are used as a background element when applied to collateral and in-store signage. These are only a small portion of the pattern library.
From typography to icons, patterns and color, the overhaul of the in-store signage system utilizes nearly all components of the new toolkit.
The signage system is vast and required a tiered system to ensure a clear heirarchy was established. Four levels of signage were created to separate the categories of messaging and wayfinding into meaningful groups.
In addition to wayfinding, a more robust and illustrated "Expert Advice" signage system is utilized to educate customers on a variety of topics from a guide on how to choose the right football helmet to checklists for a camping trip.
To rollout the new system internally a Brand Playbook gives the team an enthusiastic overview of the new brand toolkit.
The new look and feel extends to grand opening materials and signage for new store openings. This allows Academy to establish a consistent look from day one.
Grand opening announcement self-mailer.
A lenticular wall designed for store openings to walk new customers through the 80-year history of Academy Sports + Outdoors.