Mar 5, 2010 8:32:58 AM

Division III's new strategic positioning platform describes a multifaceted approach to intercollegiate athletics in which student-athletes discover and develop their potential both inside and beyond the classroom, and dedicate themselves to learning and growth.

Those "three D's" – discover, develop and dedicate – figure prominently in the first creative expressions of Division III's fledgling effort to better describe its purpose.

Just weeks after the unveiling of the platform, schools and conferences have begun making use of a new logo incorporating the three D's to symbolize their involvement in the NCAA and in Division III, and now are seeing a "final cut" of the first video created to portray the division's unique student-athlete experience.

Other materials resulting from Division III's effort to identify and promote itself will become available during the coming months as the identity initiative shifts into a new phase of calling attention to the values and attributes expressed in the platform.

"The imagery enhances the message, and allows the membership, as well as potential student-athletes or the general public, to understand and better connect with that message," said David Lovell, NCAA associate director of brand strategies and events, who is helping Division III leaders find ways to put symbolic tools like the new logo and video to use.

"The whole process is an educational opportunity for those who are not familiar with Division III, but it also can serve as reinforcement for those who do have a broad understanding of what Division III is all about," he said.

The new logo and a preliminary version of the video were introduced during January's NCAA Convention, where the platform formally was unveiled.

Together, those new tools introduced the three D's. The verbs "discover," "develop" and "dedicate" are found in the positioning statement that serves as the key to the platform, as well as in explanations in of six attributes of Division III: proportion, comprehensive learning, passion, responsibility, sportsmanship and citizenship.

"The design team immediately noticed how Division III student-athletes have a collegiate experience that's truly unique," said Noah Sarff, vice president of creative services at Sport Graphics, an Indianapolis firm that created the new logo and related designs after studying the platform. "Division III puts the focus squarely on academics. It encourages student-athletes to follow their passions and expects them to face the same challenges as the rest of the student body."

Division III's focus on the educational experience – complemented by involvement in competitive athletics and opportunities for participation in co-curricular activities – is symbolized in the logo by what Sarff describes as an "academic" typeface and the use of a "triplet of verbs."

Several Division III conferences and institutions have begun displaying variants of the logo on Web pages. They also will be encouraged to make use of another creative element that was developed by Sport Graphics – a three-color icon that can be used in applications ranging from posters and banners to publications.

"This three-sided icon is a modified Mobius strip, which is defined as a three-dimensional shape that only has one side, and one edge that turns in to itself," Sarff said. "It represents the Division III student-athlete by illustrating the concepts of academics, athletics and extracurricular activities as part of a singular experience."

The icon design was first used in banners portraying the six Division III attributes, which were displayed outside meeting rooms at January's Convention.

Lovell said the logo and icon not only symbolize Division III's identity but also help the division consistently communicate the ideas behind that identity.

"Having a unique set of creative materials, as we've done in Division III, allows us to set ourselves apart but also forces us to be consistent in that message," he said.

The nearly five-minute video that debuted at the Convention, then was made available this week in a revised form for membership use, also serves that purpose.

The video employs the three D's, but also features various speakers describing the Division III student-athlete experience in their own words, over images portraying athletics, academic and co-curricular activities. A 30-second version of the video also is being made available for viewing during local broadcasts or Webcasts of games or other uses.

All of the materials being created for the initiative are designed for practical uses, Lovell said.

"For student-athletes, it may be viewing the video through a social media platform. For a coach, it could be talking points that we provide to help in talking to parents of a student-athlete," he said. "It's everything from video to talking points to banners, so, for example, when fans come into a facility for a Division III baseball game or a basketball game, they know it's a Division III facility and they know their institution is tied in very closely with the NCAA."

The Division III Strategic Planning and Finance Committee this week formally recommended to the Division III Presidents Council an allocation of $1,000 annually during the next two years to every member institution and conference, for use in obtaining materials such as signs and banners that would help activate the initiative at the local level.

The committee proposes allocating $1.2 million over the next two years to support the initiative, which also will cover national efforts to communicate the division's identity.

"We're developing what basically will be an ordering Web site, through which the anticipated credit that will be provided to each Division III institution and conference can be used to place an order," Lovell said. "They'll have the opportunity to order materials like banners and posters. There also will be free items, such as sample ads that simply can be taken and resized as needed, or poster art they can download and use for their own purposes."

The Web site also will serve as a repository for videos, tool kits, talking points and other new resources that will be created during coming years for membership use.

Lovell hopes the availability of those tools will encourage Division III's schools and conferences to assume an active role in communicating the platform's ideals.

"This is a process involving the national office and the Division III governance structure and the schools themselves," he said. "Along the way, we're going to provide tools to help educate, and it's critically important that the institutions themselves take on that challenge – to pick up the ball and run with it, using these tools that help convey the message to their student-athletes, faculty, the general public and the media."