In 2022, Sir Ben Ainslie CBE and Hannah Mills OBE founded Athena Pathway, a registered U.K. not-for-profit organisation for female and youth athletes. The Pathway aims to fast-track development in British professional sailing, level the playing field in high-performance foiling and bring diversity and equity into all levels of the sport, both on and off the water. Athena Pathway is part of Athena Sports Group, the high-performance sports business founded by Sir Ben Ainslie CBE that includes the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team, and the British America’s Cup Team (formerly known as Ben Ainslie Racing).
The Challenge
To develop a brand identity for the Athena Pathway Programme: supporting the fast-track development of both women and youth athletes into high-performance foiling sailing, including both SailGP and the America’s Cup.
The ‘A’ from Athena presented a clear focal point for the brand, utilising the two branches of the letter to represent both facets of the programme, women and youth. With foundations in Ben’s original AINSLIE letterform, we adapted the stepped design with an ascending ladder formation signifying the pathway to the highest level of the sport. The highlight colour was informed by the two professional sailing teams, that used orange fluoro in their brand identities.
The Result
The logo design was developed into a brand identity and activation for training, development and racing at the Women’s and Youth America’s Cup event, Barcelona 2024. Athena Pathway British Women’s and Youth America’s Cup teams came second and third in their respective competitions with the brand showcased across the team’s assets, which included hospitality, clothing, boat branding, infrastructure, and communications.
Building traction on the recognition gained by competing on a world stage, utilised for commercial sponsorship proposals and bringing team solidarity for Athena Pathway athletes, the brand continues to evolve to build on the strong core message on which it was formed.
