New UNLV logo has a giant mustache flowing majestically among mountains

The UNLV Rebels have a new look. Here it is, via the university:

UNLV

It’s a sleek logo. Here is the old one, for comparison’s sake:

The school’s got this explanation for the new logo’s design elements:

UNLV

This logo looks cool, I think, and it’s thoughtful.

The general shape outline mirrors that of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign that’s plastered across a coffee mug your parents brought back from a debaucherous weekend in 2004. There’s no longer a feather in the Rebel’s cap, but instead a red star. (We at SB Nation are fans of red stars.) There are mountains, which is sensible in that Nevada has many mountains. The Rebel, named Hey Reb!, still has a thick mustache.

In general, the logo looks new, but it’s still clearly UNLV’s. That’s about what you’re looking for when you change your crest, unless my judgment of this is all wrong.

“The primary driver was modernization,” said Dan Price, the president of Adrenalin, the firm that designed the logo. “Our research showed that students and alumni liked the old logo but felt it was a bit dated. We wanted to better tell the story of the university and make the mark unique to UNLV and Las Vegas, with the incorporation of the star and Vegas sign outline a big part of the process.”

The Rebels also have an extremely cool field design that channels Las Vegas in myriad ways.

I could’ve gone for some Bellagio-style water fountains in the background, like the one that opened up on the sidelines in Vegas last year.

But all in all, the emblem accomplishes what a new logo should accomplish if you decide you want one. Do you agree?