SE: From Retro Cats to Castle Turrets – The Story Behind K-State’s Digital Brand
May 11, 2020 | Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Shane Southwell was in Pittsburgh and K-State's campus was closed when the former Wildcat was announced as the newest member of Bruce Weber's coaching staff in March.
A Big 12 champion as a player and assistant coach, Southwell's return was exciting in the way that sports can be when the chapters of an athlete's career begin to take on the unmistakable shape of a story – except on this day, there wasn't a single person on campus to tell it.
So, the K-State creative team got to work.
The athletic department staff behind K-State's digital brand hasn't slowed down with the college sports world on pause during COVID-19, maintaining the Wildcats presence on social media and designing graphics that continue to tell the story of K-State Athletics.
Ella Henton is passionate about branding, an interest ever since her college days in Manhattan. As Publications Coordinator, Henton and the K-State creative team have introduced everything from digital design elements to a consistent shade of purple across K-State Sports.
"There's a poster in my office with probably 40 different swatches of purple," she said. "So, hopefully what you see on social media is also what you see on the court or on the field."
The graphic that was released when Southwell joined K-State Basketball showcased a number of design elements that have helped the Wildcats carve out a distinctive look on social media.
The stalk of wheat that accompanies each K-State graphic is a perfect example.
You might find it directing you towards the K-State program in the spotlight, such as on the Southwell graphic, or underlining a quote. It's an abstract shape - Henton said it reminds her of the Chevron logo - that does more than just celebrate K-State's roots as an agricultural college.
"I think it's awesome that we have 16 grains on it – to represent all 16 sports teams at K-State," she said. "On every social graphic, we're thinking about all of our sports at the same time."
With hundreds of different programs competing for eyeballs on Twitter and Facebook, the Wildcats have surrounded the Powercat, one of the most recognizable logos in college sports, with designs that continue to tell the story of K-State Athletics.
Henton said that Director of Social Media and Creative Services Kevin McCarty wanted to represent every program with design details like the wheat stalk that are unique to K-State.
"We're from Kansas and we're proud of that," McCarty said. "We tried to take a step back and look at what we have on campus and what elements become part of our identity."
Out of the 65 schools that make up the Power Five conferences, K-State is among just 12 without any letters in their logo. The Powercat may be an iconic symbol, but it also provides the creative team with an opportunity to explore designs that build on K-State's brand.
Henton said that one way the creative team does that is by bringing back K-State logos of the past to create textures and backgrounds that make up different design elements.
"I've always loved that. My Dad went to K-State and that was one of the athletic logos when he was in school in the 80's," she said. "That growling wildcat is one of his favorite logos, so growing up it was always in our house."
The cat texture is symbolic of K-State's history, and without knowing what the retro cat looks like, most fans on Twitter or Facebook wouldn't be able to picture the complete logo. It's a unique element for everyone and a detail that adds special meaning for lifelong Wildcat fans.
With so many templates available for teams to create designs, McCarty said elements like the cat texture provide the creative team with tools to create graphics that are uniquely K-State.
"Like uniforms, there are a lot of social graphics where if you just change the color, it could be copied to another program. There's a lot of those out there," McCarty said. "That's fine because it's quick and easy, but we wanted to go a step beyond that. Whether or not recruits or fans consciously recognize it, we want our designs to represent who we are."
Connecting elements of K-State's campus into these graphics is another way the creative team is able to tell the story of the Wildcats through these design details. One of the most distinctive is the native limestone used in many of the academic and athletics buildings in Manhattan.
The limestone turrets at Memorial Stadium and the West Stadium Center provided inspiration for another detail throughout many K-State social graphics - turrets that border each photo.
"The West Stadium Center has become pretty iconic as this castle-looking building," Henton said. "But if you walk around campus, there are a lot of buildings that have the turrets, so that's another advantage for recruiting when people get here and realize that it's really beautiful."
All of these elements are part of the creative brand behind K-State Athletics, as detailed and meticulous in concept as they might appear to be spur-of-the-moment on Twitter or Facebook.
McCarty said that former K-State Director of Social Media and Creative Services Chris Kutz was instrumental in helping the creative team think collectively about branding. The creative team spent about five months coming up with these guidelines – from fonts to photo treatments – as K-State Athletics brand has continued to evolve over the years.
When K-State sports are back, those elements will be a part of every can't-miss moment on social media.
"We're opening our eyes, looking around and trying to make it a team effort. We've got people in our creative group that have a lot of different opinions. We did a lot of brainstorming and thought through different ideas," McCarty said. "We're trying to figure out what our story is and trying to tell it best."
Shane Southwell was in Pittsburgh and K-State's campus was closed when the former Wildcat was announced as the newest member of Bruce Weber's coaching staff in March.
A Big 12 champion as a player and assistant coach, Southwell's return was exciting in the way that sports can be when the chapters of an athlete's career begin to take on the unmistakable shape of a story – except on this day, there wasn't a single person on campus to tell it.
So, the K-State creative team got to work.
The athletic department staff behind K-State's digital brand hasn't slowed down with the college sports world on pause during COVID-19, maintaining the Wildcats presence on social media and designing graphics that continue to tell the story of K-State Athletics.
Ella Henton is passionate about branding, an interest ever since her college days in Manhattan. As Publications Coordinator, Henton and the K-State creative team have introduced everything from digital design elements to a consistent shade of purple across K-State Sports.
"There's a poster in my office with probably 40 different swatches of purple," she said. "So, hopefully what you see on social media is also what you see on the court or on the field."
The graphic that was released when Southwell joined K-State Basketball showcased a number of design elements that have helped the Wildcats carve out a distinctive look on social media.
A four-year standout and graduate assistant for the Wildcats, Shane Southwell returns to his alma mater as assistant coach.
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 31, 2020
📝 https://t.co/C66Kp90SND#KStateMBB x @Mr_SSouthwell pic.twitter.com/RwsiAwZKxl
The stalk of wheat that accompanies each K-State graphic is a perfect example.
You might find it directing you towards the K-State program in the spotlight, such as on the Southwell graphic, or underlining a quote. It's an abstract shape - Henton said it reminds her of the Chevron logo - that does more than just celebrate K-State's roots as an agricultural college.
"I think it's awesome that we have 16 grains on it – to represent all 16 sports teams at K-State," she said. "On every social graphic, we're thinking about all of our sports at the same time."
Take in new information. Adjust your expectations. React accordingly.
— K-State Rowing (@KStateROW) April 13, 2020
Emily Johnson shares how her passion for gaming and rowing have grown together in her time with the Wildcats.
📝 > https://t.co/oM8qutcZGS pic.twitter.com/I11K9wcb3t
With hundreds of different programs competing for eyeballs on Twitter and Facebook, the Wildcats have surrounded the Powercat, one of the most recognizable logos in college sports, with designs that continue to tell the story of K-State Athletics.
Henton said that Director of Social Media and Creative Services Kevin McCarty wanted to represent every program with design details like the wheat stalk that are unique to K-State.
"We're from Kansas and we're proud of that," McCarty said. "We tried to take a step back and look at what we have on campus and what elements become part of our identity."
Out of the 65 schools that make up the Power Five conferences, K-State is among just 12 without any letters in their logo. The Powercat may be an iconic symbol, but it also provides the creative team with an opportunity to explore designs that build on K-State's brand.
Henton said that one way the creative team does that is by bringing back K-State logos of the past to create textures and backgrounds that make up different design elements.
"I've always loved that. My Dad went to K-State and that was one of the athletic logos when he was in school in the 80's," she said. "That growling wildcat is one of his favorite logos, so growing up it was always in our house."
Top-1️⃣0️⃣ 😺⚽️ #KStateSOC persuing excellence in the classroom, in the community, on the field.#CatsWhoCare x @HelperHelperApp https://t.co/uK4JVeyNs8 pic.twitter.com/rDyGDv5EH7
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) May 7, 2020
The cat texture is symbolic of K-State's history, and without knowing what the retro cat looks like, most fans on Twitter or Facebook wouldn't be able to picture the complete logo. It's a unique element for everyone and a detail that adds special meaning for lifelong Wildcat fans.
With so many templates available for teams to create designs, McCarty said elements like the cat texture provide the creative team with tools to create graphics that are uniquely K-State.
"Like uniforms, there are a lot of social graphics where if you just change the color, it could be copied to another program. There's a lot of those out there," McCarty said. "That's fine because it's quick and easy, but we wanted to go a step beyond that. Whether or not recruits or fans consciously recognize it, we want our designs to represent who we are."
Connecting elements of K-State's campus into these graphics is another way the creative team is able to tell the story of the Wildcats through these design details. One of the most distinctive is the native limestone used in many of the academic and athletics buildings in Manhattan.
The limestone turrets at Memorial Stadium and the West Stadium Center provided inspiration for another detail throughout many K-State social graphics - turrets that border each photo.
"The West Stadium Center has become pretty iconic as this castle-looking building," Henton said. "But if you walk around campus, there are a lot of buildings that have the turrets, so that's another advantage for recruiting when people get here and realize that it's really beautiful."
⏪ NCAA Rewind
— K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) March 26, 2020
Catch @KStateMBB's thrilling 2-OT showdown with Xavier in the 2010 Sweet 16 on CBS Sports Network, airing at 5 p.m. CT Friday.#KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/G93IOMguhG
All of these elements are part of the creative brand behind K-State Athletics, as detailed and meticulous in concept as they might appear to be spur-of-the-moment on Twitter or Facebook.
McCarty said that former K-State Director of Social Media and Creative Services Chris Kutz was instrumental in helping the creative team think collectively about branding. The creative team spent about five months coming up with these guidelines – from fonts to photo treatments – as K-State Athletics brand has continued to evolve over the years.
When K-State sports are back, those elements will be a part of every can't-miss moment on social media.
"We're opening our eyes, looking around and trying to make it a team effort. We've got people in our creative group that have a lot of different opinions. We did a lot of brainstorming and thought through different ideas," McCarty said. "We're trying to figure out what our story is and trying to tell it best."
K-State Women's Basketball | Game Replay vs Cincinnati - December 31, 2025
Wednesday, December 31
K-State Men's Basketball | Coach Tang Press Conference - December 31
Wednesday, December 31
K-State Women's Basketball | Coach Mittie Postgame Press Conference vs Cincinnati
Wednesday, December 31
K-State Women's Basketball | Game Highlights vs Cincinnati
Wednesday, December 31
