New Rebel Logo Part of Vestavia Rebranding
A sports-marketing firm yesterday gave the Vestavia Hills school board an update that included a new “rebel” logo. Tensions over the system’s Rebel Man mascot and the name “Rebels” flared up last year. The school board has since ditched the mascot but kept the name. But the system’s rebranding process is ongoing.
The new rebel logo is getting mixed reviews so far. It’s the word “rebel,” with the left side of the “r” made from the numeral 1. It’s meant to convey unity and the idea that “when you play one rebel, you play us all.”
Design firm Knight Eady’s community research found strong attachment to the name “rebel” but deep division over the former mascot – a gentleman plantation owner – and over what might replace it. So the firm recommended not having a mascot at all, as you can hear in this video.
The new logo will not be the system’s main logo or the final product of a roughly $30,000 rebranding effort. A Knight Eady representative says the firm will release its “complete rebranding package” by May 13.
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