UNLV athletics yesterday continued its "revamping process by unveiling a new logo," according to Mike Grimala of the LAS VEGAS SUN. The previous "'spirit logo,' which featured a caricature of the Rebels' prospector mascot Hey Reb!, has been replaced by a sideways-facing silhouette of Hey Reb! set against a background in the shape of the 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas' sign." UNLV President Len Jessup said that a redesign committee and a graphic design firm "spent almost a year brainstorming, researching and finalizing the new look." Jessup "pegged the total cost of the redesign between $50,000-$60,000." He said that the funds "came from 'private money.'" Jessup added that the redesign committee "never seriously considered completely dropping the 'Rebels' moniker" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 6/29). In Las Vegas, Mark Anderson in a front-page piece notes UNLV's first logo overhaul in 11 years was "met by harsh reviews within minutes of its unveiling." Social media was "especially unforgiving as some struggled to understand the new look." UNLV "outsourced the project" to Denver-based design firm Adrenalin. Hey Reb! "made its debut" in '82 and "other changes were made" in '97. Adrenalin President Dan Price said that "about 200 'concepts' were considered." New UNLV AD Desiree Reed-Francois "wasn't involved in the process." But she said that she "liked the new look" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/29). CBSSPORTS.com's Tom Fornelli wrote the new logo is "not horrible, but it's not particularly memorable, either." Fornelli: "I'm not sure it's even an upgrade on the old logo" (CBSSPORTS.com, 6/28).
