a 'cool' identity
8.20.2020 |
This is probably the first team that you’ve ever known that is called the Ice Haulers. They aren’t simply the Lions, the Tigers, or the Bears. Oh my, what is an Ice Hauler and why is it the identity for a team in Sandusky?
Will Spence is the regional manager for Sports Force Parks, where the Ice Haulers will play, as well as the Ice Haulers Vice President. According to the Sandusky Register, he was walking through the Marketplace at the Cooke in downtown Sandusky when he got the idea for the team’s name. In his May 7th article, Brian Kollars writes, “He came across a wall that showcased the way ice used to be retrieved from Sandusky Bay. In the late 1800s, hundreds of thousands of tons of ice used to be harvested from the bay each winter. Some of it was shipped to places as far away as New Orleans.” Hence the name Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers, which Spence thought was a natural fit.
Yet a team name is just a part of the overall identity. There is a mascot, logos, and a brand that needs to be established. For this job, the Ice Haulers went to graphic designer Scott Kolbe. Kolbe has always been an athlete. He has been involved in coaching many of the sports that his children play – like football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and a little bit of hockey. Graphic design has been his other passion, so combining it with sports has been perfect for him. “While I have created logos and brand identity for clients in many industries,” Kolbe says, “sports branding is my true favorite.”
The directions for Kolbe in creating a mascot for the team referred to Olaf from the movie Frozen, and the Abominable Snowman. These two characters were to be the influence to drive the design. He was also working with the history of harvesting ice from Lake Erie in the Sandusky Bay area. This led to the creation of the mascot Harry the Ice Hauler, and the secondary ice saw logo. Kolbe states that the cool color palette was chosen to fit the ice harvesting theme and the athletic brand. “Part of logo development often includes the creation of custom typography,” Kolbe informs. “The wordmark for the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers is a completely unique typeface created just for this logo.” As he creates all the identity elements, it helps him to see how the entire project will work together. “With this project, I wanted to give the organization a system that would provide a ton of flexibility to apply the logo to just about anything.”
Summer collegiate baseball combines the talent level of college baseball with the atmosphere of minor league baseball. Therefore, when developing a logo system for a summer collegiate team, the designer is trying to appeal to both college baseball players and young families alike. That is exactly what the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers logos do. Kolbe admits that it was disappointing to see the Ice Haulers inaugural season canceled and that he “was really looking forward to seeing the new logo and uniform design come to life.” He was most anxiously looking forward to seeing a mascot costume created. “Kids would have loved it!” he remarked.
Kolbe says that his favorite part in the design process is making the clients happy and seeing how they enjoy his logo and brand identity work. “The entire design process is fun for me,” he says. “I like meeting people, hearing their stories, and learning about new things through additional research so I can pull all this information together into one cohesive design solution.” And it is obvious that Scott Kolbe enjoys what he does. “Taking an idea from sketch to final digital art is more like a hobby for me than a job. I’m lucky that way.” The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League and the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers are lucky to have such a wonderfully designed logo, and can’t wait until it finally makes its debut in-game!
Click here to view this article as it appears on GreatLakesLeague.org.
This is probably the first team that you’ve ever known that is called the Ice Haulers. They aren’t simply the Lions, the Tigers, or the Bears. Oh my, what is an Ice Hauler and why is it the identity for a team in Sandusky?
Will Spence is the regional manager for Sports Force Parks, where the Ice Haulers will play, as well as the Ice Haulers Vice President. According to the Sandusky Register, he was walking through the Marketplace at the Cooke in downtown Sandusky when he got the idea for the team’s name. In his May 7th article, Brian Kollars writes, “He came across a wall that showcased the way ice used to be retrieved from Sandusky Bay. In the late 1800s, hundreds of thousands of tons of ice used to be harvested from the bay each winter. Some of it was shipped to places as far away as New Orleans.” Hence the name Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers, which Spence thought was a natural fit.
Yet a team name is just a part of the overall identity. There is a mascot, logos, and a brand that needs to be established. For this job, the Ice Haulers went to graphic designer Scott Kolbe. Kolbe has always been an athlete. He has been involved in coaching many of the sports that his children play – like football, baseball, soccer, basketball, and a little bit of hockey. Graphic design has been his other passion, so combining it with sports has been perfect for him. “While I have created logos and brand identity for clients in many industries,” Kolbe says, “sports branding is my true favorite.”
The directions for Kolbe in creating a mascot for the team referred to Olaf from the movie Frozen, and the Abominable Snowman. These two characters were to be the influence to drive the design. He was also working with the history of harvesting ice from Lake Erie in the Sandusky Bay area. This led to the creation of the mascot Harry the Ice Hauler, and the secondary ice saw logo. Kolbe states that the cool color palette was chosen to fit the ice harvesting theme and the athletic brand. “Part of logo development often includes the creation of custom typography,” Kolbe informs. “The wordmark for the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers is a completely unique typeface created just for this logo.” As he creates all the identity elements, it helps him to see how the entire project will work together. “With this project, I wanted to give the organization a system that would provide a ton of flexibility to apply the logo to just about anything.”
Summer collegiate baseball combines the talent level of college baseball with the atmosphere of minor league baseball. Therefore, when developing a logo system for a summer collegiate team, the designer is trying to appeal to both college baseball players and young families alike. That is exactly what the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers logos do. Kolbe admits that it was disappointing to see the Ice Haulers inaugural season canceled and that he “was really looking forward to seeing the new logo and uniform design come to life.” He was most anxiously looking forward to seeing a mascot costume created. “Kids would have loved it!” he remarked.
Kolbe says that his favorite part in the design process is making the clients happy and seeing how they enjoy his logo and brand identity work. “The entire design process is fun for me,” he says. “I like meeting people, hearing their stories, and learning about new things through additional research so I can pull all this information together into one cohesive design solution.” And it is obvious that Scott Kolbe enjoys what he does. “Taking an idea from sketch to final digital art is more like a hobby for me than a job. I’m lucky that way.” The Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League and the Sandusky Bay Ice Haulers are lucky to have such a wonderfully designed logo, and can’t wait until it finally makes its debut in-game!
Click here to view this article as it appears on GreatLakesLeague.org.