OMAHA MASTERY AAA HOCKEY ASSOCIATION, INC.
When I started working for the Omaha Mastery AAA Hockey Association, Inc. (also referred to as "Omaha Mastery AAA" and/or "Mastery AAA"), I was hired as the Chief Financial Officer. However, with my skills in digital design, I ended up taking on the roles of Graphic/Web Designer and Digital Content Creator to help build a consistent look across the brand.
REBRANDING PROCESS
When Omaha Mastery AAA Hockey Association, Inc. (formerly “Omaha AAA Hockey Club”) signed with Mastery Logistics as a sponsor, I was given the new official logo for the organization as well as alternate logos and a small color palette. From there, I employed my creative skills to re-design company elements (paperwork, social media, website, etc.) to showcase the new sponsor. Additionally, I created a Brand Style Guide not only for my own sanity and efficiency, but also as a reference for anyone else that might take on a creative role with the organization.
What I received:
LOGO OPTIONS
COLOR SWATCHES
[ to be used in addition to the copper, black & white from the logos pictured ]
Primary Logo
Alternate
Logo
Alternate
Logo
"OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW"
Because there are a lot of documents that parents/players must fill out and sign in any AAA hockey organization (contracts, waivers, host family agreements, etc.), I created letterhead options that looked sharp and professional, showed consistency, and showcased the brand identity of the organization. Additionally, I re-worded the old forms and organized text to make everything easier to read and understand (and to be more eye-appealing). Families pay a lot of money for their child to play for Mastery AAA, and although we know they're getting their money's worth experience-wise, our branding should relay that professional message, as well.
EXAMPLE:
OLD
NEW
PASSCODE PROTECTED FOR THE PRIVACY OF
OMAHA MASTERY AAA
HEADER OPTIONS
I created these header options in Adobe Photoshop.
[ All variations are saved within one extremely organized Photoshop project for easy and efficient accessibility
should there be any changes that need to be made ]
Year/Season (DIN Condensed font)
ELEMENTS FOR EDIT
Title of Document | Age Group
(Bebas Neue font)
Additional text/information (if needed)--can use DIN Condensed or Bebas Neue here, as well
CONSISTENT ELEMENTS
Organization Name
(Primetime font)
Light Grey background with
Dark Grey Omaha skyline
Mastery AAA Primary Logo
Main Header Option #1
Uses:
-
Used for the majority of documents, especially because it allows the option to specify the age group when body text differs between teams (e.g. an 18U/16U player contract is much different than a 13U player contract)
-
Shows immediate brand identity with large display of organization name in primary font + primary logo
-
Omaha skyline adds feeling of "Omaha's AAA Team"
-
Document Title & Age Group line can be left blank to use this design as a generic header/letterhead
Seen here:
Main Header Option #2
Title of document (Primetime font) as well as Year/Season (DIN Condensed font) available to edit
Uses:
-
Option when documents have the same body text across all age groups
-
Option for documents with shorter titles
-
Saves ink
-
Gives "simplified" look
-
Document Title line can be left blank to use this design as a generic header/letterhead
Seen here:
Secondary Header Option #1
%20Example_edited.png)
Title of document, Age group and Year/Season (all DIN Condensed font)
available to edit
Uses:
-
Primary use: Running head (used as header on all pages after page 1)
-
Keeps readers reminded of what document they're viewing (important for multi-page documents)
-
Can be used with documents that use either of the two main header options
-
Option to replace top line of text with "Omaha Mastery AAA Hockey Association, Inc." and leave the year/season line blank. This allows the design to be used as a generic main header/letterhead when the other two Main Header options may seem overly expressive (e.g. on letters to parents, alumni, businesses, etc.)
Seen here:
Secondary Header Option #2
%20Example_edited.png)
Uses:
-
More simplified/generic look as a running head
-
Can be used with documents that use either of the two main header options
-
Option as a letterhead for sending thank you notes, invoices, etc.
EMAIL SIGNATURES
Email communication is an essential part of any organization, and something as simple as an email signature can greatly enhance any brand.
GENERIC
[ click to enlarge ]
PERSONALIZED
I designed these with the following goals in mind:
PROFESSIONAL FIRST IMPRESSION
-
Clean, easy-to-read design that emphasizes key elements (logo, company name, website)
-
Hockey stick functions as a design element to separate text, but also gives a sporty look
BOOST BRAND AWARENESS
INCREASE SOCIAL FOLLOWING
SHOW BRAND CONSISTENCY
-
Mastery AAA's primary logo is first thing recipients notice
-
Website is in eye-catching copper color right under the organization name
-
Social platforms shown
-
Easily-identifiable social icons with Mastery AAA's social handles listed
-
Visual reminder for recipients to navigate to the channels and follow--important because most public info/announcements for Mastery AAA go out on social media
-
Follows style guide
-
Subtle use of hockey stick serves as visual representation of a hockey organization
-
Both the generic & personalized signature styles have consistent design features
Additional Design Inspo Notes
-
After consulting with Mastery AAA personnel that used their email regularly for business communication, there was not a lot of interest in putting personal social channels on the signature, so that helped simplify the design.
-
A key detail in the design of the personalized style is that it's versatile. Because the name and job title are centered with the shaft of the hockey stick, the signature will still have a consistent "centered" look no matter the length of someone's name and/or job title.
-
These were able to be easily uploaded as a PNG into the "signature" portion of Settings in Gmail. Additionally, I also linked (or helped my colleagues link) Mastery AAA's website to the image within Gmail's settings, so clicking anywhere on the email signature would take recipients to the main website.
SOCIAL MEDIA EXAMPLES
Click an image on either side to cycle through
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
 |
Note:
All images were also posted to Mastery AAA's
Twitter + Facebook accounts