Throughout the laborious 18-month rebranding process, both Illinois athletics and Nike officials wanted to capture Illinois’ blue-collar mentality — the “fighting” in “Fighting Illini.”

After new uniforms were leaked Tuesday night, fans on social media feared “Fighting Illini” wouldn’t be in the new identity upon seeing the “Illinois” mark on basketball and volleyball jerseys. But Wednesday’s launch event at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts presented a surprise: Variations of the new look will indeed incorporate “Fighting Illini” as the mark.

But the long-standing nickname is more emphasized in a new logo, which was unveiled Wednesday night.

The new “Victory Badge” crest — which will serve as the secondary logo to the iconic block “I” — is encased by two inward-facing F’s (and thus forming the block “I”) and is in reference to Illinois’ fight in competition.

The bottom of the badge is grounded by vertical stripes, which represent the 200 Memorial Stadium columns that pay tribute to Illinois men and women who died in World War I. The “Victory Badge” ends with the “V” shape to represent victory.

“As a Fighting Illini, you never go to battle alone. You’re always together,” Nike creative director for football and baseball Todd Van Horne said, adding that it’s one of his favorite elements of the new design.

Van Horne said that during Nike’s interviews with student-athletes, officials and alumni, “Fighting Illini” was emphasized and his company wanted to capture that spirit.

For the Illini, the new logo will be incorporated into all 19 varsity sports’ uniforms in some way. For example, the shield will be the prominent mark on the front of the white- and orange-colored soccer jerseys.

For football, the badge will rest on the collar of the jerseys. For basketball, it will appear on the waistband of the basketball shorts, as Illinois and Nike wanted to bring a superhero look to the athletes.

Athletic director Mike Thomas said Nike’s designs evolved over time, but the athletic apparel company wasn’t too far off in the beginning. He said one of the components of the new design that was tweaked during the process was the “Victory Badge.” 

Thomas said the “Victory Badge” has been well received by Illinois coaches, and the image will be seen in various Illinois athletics facilities. Student-athletes modeling for the event also pointed to the new logo as a positive change, many calling it strong.

“I think it’s a good point to reinvent the programs,” volleyball player Jocelynn Birks said.

The new logos will be used with a limited number of colors, primarily the orange and blue, unlike the current look in which colors vary by team.

Illinois also announced a new typography, specifically developed for the rebranding project. The “Illinois” and “Fighting Illini” wordmarks will use oblique letters, which Illinois says were inspired by speed and elusive lateral movements, synonymous with football icon Red Grange. “It leans forward … it leans into the future,” Van Horne said.

The split color inside the wordmarks, as seen on the new basketball and volleyball uniforms, is representative of the school’s motto: Learning and Labor.

Other changes include the addition of a white football helmet, which will be interchangeable with orange, blue and white jerseys and helmets, and the new silver jerseys for men’s basketball.

Nearly two years ago, Illinois reached out to Nike about a possible rebrand, noting consistency issues in the school’s brand. The redesign does not come at any additional cost to Illinois than what was agreed upon in the original 10-year contract with Nike, which runs through 2015-16.

Illinois football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer programs — along with a few others — will employ the new look next season.

“I was in the back hallways when (the student-athletes) saw their uniforms for the first time,” Thomas said. “It’s like Christmas morning. It’s like the kids sit there and watch the fireworks go off. It was special.”

Darshan can be reached at [email protected] and @drshnpatel.