A fierce new horse, a whole new ballgame

Canberra Cavalry is a founding member of the Australian Baseball League. Backed by a loyal supporter base, the team represents the capital’s top talent. Energetic and entertaining, their games combine an international standard of talent and flair with a minor-league level of passion and fun.

Challenge

As sports fanatics, we recognised the untapped potential of the Cavalry brand and were keen to capture its crowd-pleasing antics and engaging atmosphere. Following a change of ownership, the challenges were to reposition the Cavalry as Canberra’s premier summer sports team, increase membership and attract new sponsorships. To achieve this, we set out to deliver an identity that would be championed by a broader demographic, from baseball die-hards to casual spectators, kids and adults alike. We wanted to create a proud, inclusive and wearable brand with in-field, outfield and off-field presence.

Solution

The new brand has a refreshed look and feel, true to the game itself. The collegiate, calvary-inspired typographic approach references the origin of the Cavalry. The iconic letter ‘C’ is the base that carries the brand. The new horse sits proudly within this carrier, fierce and fearless – a mascot that fans can rally around. Punchy orange and warm grey bring a vibrant simplicity to the modernised colour palette.

The versatile identity builds out a range of considered alternatives and sub-marks for a unified presence across touchpoints, including team uniforms, social templates and membership campaigns. We’ve applied the flexible new brand, type and badge elements across a wide range of merch that reflects the street and fashion culture of baseball. A cohesive season campaign and social media strategy were developed to ensure that the rollout of the new brand hit home, empowering Calvalry to live up to its status as a serious national competitor.

Delivery – Services

Brand positioning and strategy
Identity and brand rollout
Illustration
Custom typography
Merchandise and uniform design
Art direction and photography
Season campaign
Social media strategy and development
Animation

Base for a strong foundation

The brand is built on a layered oval badge, with the ‘C’ forming a strong foundation at its base. As a distinct, ownable mark, it’s as recognisable on game day on a cap as it is away from the field. As a graphic oval badge device, its versatility and subtlety can be dialled up and down when used as a carrier for the horse, or stripping the parts back to simply the iconic ‘C’ on its own. Filling the same base with custom patterns, colours and textures allows the Cavalry to maintain brand equity throughout special events and collaborations including Pride, Remembrance and Anniversary Rounds.

Canberra Cavalry Baseball cap embroidery details

Canberra Cavalry Baseball players in the dugout

Indigenous mark and alternates

Celebrating community is an important part of baseball and Cavalry culture. The identity has been designed to celebrate the rich diversity of the team throughout the season, integrating Military, Pride and Indigenous artwork through a series of sub-marks that flow through the merch range. The brand’s flexibility was best demonstrated when collaborating with local First Nations man Richie Allen to design the creative for the Indigenous Round. Drawing on indigenous stories and artwork, we integrated the piece into the ‘C’ as a unique backing. We worked with sponsors to match the artwork to the brand’s new colours to produce a sharp, modern and cohesive kit.