USA Swimming News

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, an idea had struck the USA Swimming creative team: "Let's do the redesign project."

The idea of redesigning the logos of USA Swimming's Local Swimming Committees (LSCs) had long been on the mind of Matt Lupton, Senior Creative Director, and Natalie Elzinga, Creative Manager at USA Swimming, but the timing never quite lined up.

"Figuring out how to tackle 59 rebranding projects was the issue," Lupton said. "We attempted various panacea solutions, but ultimately decided that rebranding each LSC individually not only would maintain the visual integrity of USA Swimming, but it would also allow each LSC to emphasize its own unique aesthetic."

In April 2020, Lupton and Elzinga officially broke ground on the massive redesign project. The two of them would hold a meeting and listen to LSC stakeholders about what is important for them in their respective logos. From there, the duo would sketch concepts and communicate with each other, refining the look down to a "Version One" logo to display to the LSC.

"I personally love watching faces on the Zoom call when we unveil logos — the reactions are very telling as to whether we’ve hit it out of the park, or if we should probably sharpen out drawing implements for a second shot at it," Lupton added.

After the initial debut, Lupton and Elzinga would go back to the drawing board, make tweaks and finalize the logo to return back to the LSC. The final package included files in all formats—including correct sizing and files for banners, shirts, swim caps, social media and more—for each LSC to use as they please.

"The 'other stuff' lift gets incredibly lighter for any LSC with a strong brand," Lupton explained. "You never have to worry about what file format to give the vendor, which icon you should use for social, or what color caps to get for your event. It’s all ready to roll out with a click, so the LSCs can get back to concentrating on delivering the very best services to USA Swimming members."

The project is still ongoing, resulting in new imagery across LSCs nationwide. With all the unique geographical aspects that each LSC can represent and feature, Lupton believes that highlighting those respective traits while maintaining a uniform brand can go a long way in the sport.

"USA Swimming is truly a big family of the very best and brightest," he said. "When we build one super strong brand visually, it inherently helps us all realize we’re all unified in this for the same reason – because we love this sport.

As the project continues on, the reasoning behind it remains the same: the people and the sport.

"Getting to know the people at the LSCs has been the best part," Lupton said. "Our sport is full of wonderful people who all are very interested in bringing swimming to as many people as possible, and these passionate people are so much fun to work with.

Scroll through the below carousel to see some of the before-and-after images from the LSC redesign project!

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