By Evelyn Bleed, news correspondent

A new breed was born this past summer as Northeastern Athletics presented their new logo, a new presentation of King Husky, amidst a marketing campaign known as #HowlinHuskies.

The primary mark will be the King Husky head, a black and white, simplistic side profile of the Husky, looking upward and forward, towards Northeastern’s future, said Tim Duncan, deputy athletic director of external affairs.

Several secondary marks were also designed, such as the standing Husky, paw, type ring and a new “N” mark, within a shield or with a husky in front of it.

Jeff Konya, Northeastern’s athletic director, said his department felt there was lack of distinction in the marketplace and confusion with other institutions when he took over in January.

“We felt that this was the right time to rebrand,” said Konya, “We have live, new energy and ideas on the board.”

The marketing and communications department suggested a tattoo-inspired design that emitted a modern and regal feel, said Duncan. They wanted to use primarily black and white in order to utilize the negative space and make it distinctive.

“A good tattoo artist makes their marks look very distinctive, and that’s the level of detail we wanted on our logo,” said Duncan.

Input on the rebrand was broad. Recent graduates, student athletes, alumni, employees in and outside athletics, long-standing donors and corporate partners were involved in the designing and marketing campaign, Konya said.

“We had internal and external focus groups. We went through several iterations to make sure we got what we thought was the right marks, font and look,” Konya said. “I’m really excited to see how our new brand and our marketing matures over time.”

The old husky mark will be used as a throwback mark: during hockey retro nights, for example.. Konya said using the prior logo will remind people of Northeastern’s lengthy history and bring about nostalgia.

Primarily, the Division-I varsity teams will use the head and the other marks will be visible in Northeastern’s marketing materials, facilities and non-competition apparel items.

Additionally, uniforms and posters will have a 3D rendering of King Husky. More information on the branding guide can be found on the Northeastern Athletics website.

“We’re the original Husky but we put a new twist on it,” said Duncan. “And now we’re a new breed that has been born.”