AAU Basketball Program Logo and Brand Identity Guide

Most AAU program logos fail in one of three ways: too many colors, too much detail, or a shape that does not scale down cleanly. A logo that looks great as a digital file at 400 pixels wide can fall apart at 1.5 inches on a hat or at 3 inches on a tank chest.

The rules for a logo that works across apparel:

• Two to three colors maximum: Your primary program color, one accent, and white or black as a neutral. More than three colors creates embroidery complexity and printing cost.
• Simple geometry: Circles, shields, crests, stars. These scale predictably. Intricate illustrations with thin lines, small text, or fine gradients disappear at small sizes.
• Readable at 1.5 inches: Print your logo at 1.5 inches wide and look at it from arm's length. If the program name is still legible, the logo works. If it turns into a blur, simplify it.
• No gradients for embroidery: Gradient fills cannot be reproduced in thread. If hats are part of your program kit, design the logo using solid fills only.

Three formats dominate competitive AAU programs because they are versatile across every product type:

1. Crest or shield: A shaped border (shield, hexagon, arc-based crest) containing the program initials, a mascot element, or a star. Reads as official and organized at every size. Works well in both embroidery and print.
2. Wordmark: Program name in a bold, custom-style font, sometimes with a graphic element below. Works best for programs where the name itself is the brand (city plus team name combinations).
3. Icon plus wordmark: A standalone icon (basketball, crown, lightning bolt) paired with the program name. Gives you two formats from one design: the icon alone for hat embroidery and the full lockup for tank chest or hoodie back placement.

Most programs that look professional over multiple seasons use the icon plus wordmark format. It gives design flexibility without requiring a redesign as the program grows.

The file format matters as much as the design. Apparel printing and embroidery require specific file types:

• PNG with transparent background: The standard format for print placement on tanks, hoodies, and tees. Resolution should be at least 300 DPI at the intended print size.
• SVG or AI file: Vector format preferred for embroidery setup. Allows the decorator to scale without quality loss and separate colors for thread color matching.
• JPEG or low-res PNG: Acceptable for basic print applications but not ideal. Avoid if you have a better format available.

If your program only has a low-resolution logo (a photo of a printed shirt, a screenshot from social media), you can still start. The Done-For-You VIP plan at Bear Grips includes logo cleanup as part of the service: send any reference image and the team prepares a print-ready version and applies it across your chosen products.

Consistency is what turns a logo into a brand. Every item in your program shop should use the same logo file, the same placement position, and the same color specifications.

Standard placement by item:

• Performance tank (front): Left chest, 3 to 4 inches wide. Program name on the back above the number.
• Hoodie or crewneck (front): Center chest, 4 to 5 inches wide. Or left chest with program name as a full back graphic.
• Athletic shorts: Left leg, 2 to 3 inches wide.
• Hat (front panel): Centered, 2 to 2.5 inches wide for embroidery.

When you set up your shop, apply the same logo file with the same placement to every product. The visual consistency is what makes a 10-item program shop look like a professional brand catalog rather than a collection of random custom shirts.

For design ideas on your full kit see AAU Basketball Jersey Design Ideas. To launch your shop see AAU Basketball Team Shop Setup.