#TheNewWest: Canada West unveils fresh look, new digital assets
Canada West Communications
A new chapter in Canada West (CW) history officially opened Wednesday, as the conference rebrand was unveiled.
The conference rolled out its new look, which was nearly a year in the making, along with several improved ways to showcase Western Canada's top student-athletes, most notably a revamped version of Canada West TV – the conference's official streaming home.
"Canada West has always been committed to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience, as our members work to prepare young people to be champions on the field of play and leaders in their communities," said Adrienne Healey, CW VP of Marketing and Communications. "The rebrand captures our rich history, while looking to the future with the goal of better showcasing our student-athletes in the digital world."
The new marks
Highlighting CW's distinct visual identity is the new primary mark, which draws on three of the conference's previous four logos and replaces the existing 'Western Canada' version, which had been in use since 2003.
CLICK HERE – The New West: Behind the CW rebrand
Designed by Edmonton-based graphic design firm Artslinger, the conference's new visual identity marks the second time CW has partnered with the graphic design firm, after developing a logo for the Hardy Cup – Canada West's football championship game – in 2015.
"It's always a pleasure working with a premier organization on a project of this magnitude. Canada West understands the importance of a brand and the strategies for marketing it. They were very involved in the conceptualization of the new brand and we could not have come up with the mark we did without their involvement," said Curtis Ogrodiuk, Artslinger owner and creative director. "We can't wait to work with Canada West again and are very excited to watch where the new brand takes them."
CLICK HERE – CW online store: Limited edition CW apparel
Serving the members
Key to Canada West's new visual identity is the conference's commitment to greater visibility at the member level through the creation of member specific versions of the new conference marks.
The Canada West marks have been created in the colour schemes of all 17 members to ensure seamless integration of the conference brand on apparel and in venues. Beginning this season, CW marks will begin appearing more widely on member jerseys, with mandatory implementation on all new jerseys moving forward.
CW becomes the first conference in the country to introduce this level of customization for its members after this approach has been successfully implemented across various levels of sport in recent years, including at the collegiate level in the United States.
Improved digital presence
Paired with the conference's revised look are several new initiatives aimed at improving Canada West's digital footprint.
Central to the conference's improved digital presence is the launch of the revamped Canada West TV, which is powered by Surrey, B.C. based Yare Media, who is also behind the Canadian Football League's international streaming portal.
Over 1,100 conference events will be available in a new, responsive platform, which will provide an enhanced viewing experience this season thanks in large part to HTML5 adaptive bitrate technology that will automatically provide users with the optimal resolution for their device and internet connectivity.
2017-18 passes are now available for purchase, with early bird pricing available for all fans until September 6.
CLICK HERE to see the new CanadaWest.tv
CW also teamed up with Presto Sports on a revised conference website, which better showcases the conference's members and student-athletes. Additionally, the new Canada West Front Row app will allow both Apple and Android users to more easily follow their favourite teams and sports on their mobile device.
About Canada West:
Canada West (CW) is the leading university athletic conference in the country and is home to champion student-athletes that excel in the classroom and their communities. Canada West and our 17 members from across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba collectively carry on a legacy of competitive excellence, as our champions proudly go on to represent the conference at U SPORTS national championships.
Canada West – training leaders, building champions
