Central Arkansas Bears is the name of the men’s teams from the athletic program of the University of Central Arkansas, based in Conway and established in 1907. The name of the women’s team of the program is Sugar Bears. The program is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Central Arkansas Bears is best known for its men’s football team, which competes in the first division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Since 2021 the program is also a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), and before joining ASUN the Central Arkansas Bears and Sugar Bears were a part of the Southland and Western Atlantic Conferences.
What are Central Arkansas Bears?
Central Arkansas Bears is the collegiate athletic program of the University of Central Arkansas, which is composed of 8 men’s and 10 women’s (Sugar Beats) teams, which compete in various sports disciplines, including indoor and outdoor Track and Field, Baseball, Basketball, and others.
In terms of visual identity, the Central Arkansas Bears and Sugar Nears athletic program has been very constant, with both the composition and color palette of its badge, which has been settling in the middle of the 1990s and modernized at the end of the 2000s. The intense purple color makes the logo of the team stand out in the list of competitors and looks confident and energetic.
The Central Arkansas Bears logo, designed in 1996, featured a composition of a massive graphical element, placed behind the diagonally set “UCA” abbreviation, set in enlarged light-gray capitals in a black outline, executed in a square serif font, which is often used for the insignias, connected to colleges. As for the graphic element of the logo, it is a purple bear standing behind the inscription on its hind legs. The animal is slightly tilted to the side, with its huge front paws spread out to the side and open let. The bear looks menacing, representing the spirit of the college teams.
The redesign of 2009 introduced a more modern version of the purple and gray logo for the Central Arkansas Bears athletic program. On the new badge, there is just the upper part of the bear’s body drawn above the two levels of lettering. The bear has its paws spread to the sides, like “framing” the “UCA” abbreviation in bold purple letters with a white outline. The inscription is accompanied by a gray arched ribbon with the black capitalized “Bears” on it. The smooth modern sans-serif font of the wordmark softens the angles of the upper level and the ribbon itself.
The logo features bold, capitalized lettering that reads “CENTRAL ARKANSAS” arranged in an arc formation, with a color gradient from white at the top to a deep purple at the bottom, adding a dynamic and strong visual impact. Below this text, there is a graphic of a bear’s head depicted in shades of dark purple and black, with white accents that highlight the bear’s aggressive and fierce expression. The bear’s open mouth and sharp teeth convey a sense of power and ferocity. The overall color scheme of purple, black, and white creates a sense of regality and intensity, chosen to evoke the team’s competitive spirit and strength. To the right of the bear’s head, a trademark symbol, “TM,” signifies the logo’s registered status. The design elements come together to create a striking and memorable logo that represents the spirit and identity of Central Arkansas.