Creative Tips To Design A Winning Mascot For Your College

The education industry is a highly competitive one, and you cannot expect to gain recognition without a robust marketing plan. You must invest in brand building to connect with potential students and create a memorable impression on them. But college branding takes more than posting ads in local newspapers, running an impressive website, and participating in education fairs and events.

Investing in a mascot is an excellent idea as it replicates your institution’s personality and costs only a fraction of celebrity endorsements. The best part is that you can leverage it beyond the marketing initiative, as it also represents your sports teams in the long run. While a mascot can boost your presence in the competitive education landscape, everything boils down to designing an impressive one. Let us share some creative tips to design a winning mascot for your college.

Define your vision and values

Your vision and values make the best inspiration to design your college mascot. Whether you are new in the industry or have been around for some time, you will probably have a set of core values and visions that define your institution. For example, some colleges prioritize diversity by enrolling international students and people from different ethnicities. Others want to showcase their academic mission, and yet others go the extra mile with sports and extra-curricular activities. Decide on the traits you want to highlight, and replicate them into your mascot’s design. Also, stay true to your brand elements like colors, logo, and tone of voice while designing the character.

Check the trends in the landscape

Since the education landscape is big, you will not fall short of inspiration if you look around. You can check your competitors to understand the latest trends in mascot designs. Think beyond local and explore national and international institutions to see what their brand characters look like. The good thing is that most colleges invest in Custom Mascot Costumes for sports events and education fairs, so you can easily find pictures on the internet. You can consider revamping your original mascot if you already have one. Talking to a designer is also an option if you want a trending replica for your brand.

Get insights from your students

The objective of a college mascot is to connect with the students, both existing and potential. Its design should create a sense of belongingness and pride among the audience. Your students can be the best source of design insights because they know what works. Moreover, they can provide fresh and innovative ideas for a character to define your personality. Another benefit of student involvement in mascot design is that it can boost engagement and loyalty. Happy students will be keen to spread the word, which is a great way to get free promotions for your college.

Creating a mascot for your college branding need not be a massive effort. You can follow these simple tips to design one that replicates your personality and connects with your audience. A robust marketing plan will do the rest!