Longhorn Network was launched in 2011, as a satellite regional sports channel, covering programs and events connected to local university’s athletic programs, and mainly focused on the Texas Longhorn club.
The idea of creating a regional Texas sports channel is a collaboration between ESPN and Learfield IMG College. The project was introduced in April 2011 and started operating already in August of the same year. The main aim of the project was in showing the amazing potential of the athletic programs in Austin, Texas. And the idea succeeded, as well as its execution, as the network exists for longer than a decade and doesn’t lose its popularity.
The network shows not only sports events and championships, but also releases sport-related programs and interviews with coaches and teams’ players, and due to this assorted content, there is always something to watch in Longhorn.
What is Longhorn?
Longhorn is the name of an American channel considered an RSN (regional sports network) operated as a joint venture by the University of Texas at Austin, ESPN, and Learfield IMG College. The signal itself is produced by ESPN and was launched on August 26, 2011. The focus of the live broadcasts and programs is on the university’s sports division, namely the Texas Longhorns.
In terms of visual identity, Longhorn Network is very consistent, and still uses the badge, designed for it in 2011, as it is quite good in representing brutality and strength, as well as energy and stability.
The Longhorn Network logo, introduced in 2011, looks very powerful and masculine. The badge is set in an orange and black color palette with white elements, and this scheme makes the badge stand out in the list of other channels. The logo is composed of a graphical part, with the white head of a longhorn bull set in a rectangular flag, vertically divided into black and orange halves. The banner is accompanied by a two-leveled inscription in a heavy sans-serif font, with the top level set in orange, and the bottom one — in black.
The choice of the symbol is quite understandable, as the same bull can be found on the official emblem of Texas Longhorns, plus this animal is considered to be a symbol of Texas state.
The bold and stable lettering from the Longhorn Network visual identity is set in a heavy geometric sans-serif typeface with concrete characters, clean contours, and straight cuts of the lines. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Impact WGL Regular, or OL Newsbytes Black, with some minor modifications.
As for the color palette of the Longhorn Network’s visual identity, it is based on a very interesting combination of burnt orange and black, which looks bright and stylish, yet at the same time evokes a sense of seriousness and expertise. Orange is also a commonly known symbol of energy and strength.