Giving a School a Mascot Everyone Could Use

Guajome asked for a logo, but the school needed an identity that could survive everything from athletic uniforms to student-painted signs. I developed a flexible frog mascot and supporting marks, then built a practical file kit and guidelines so people could use the right artwork without needing a designer beside them.

I expanded the brief by looking at where the identity actually needed to work. A school document, embroidered shirt, website icon, and pep-rally sign couldn’t all use the same amount of detail. I developed a hierarchy of marks in Adobe Illustrator, giving the school complete compositions and simpler alternatives rather than squeezing one logo into every space. The result was a family of related options that could adapt to different applications without losing the mascot’s character.

I prepared full-color, one-color, black, and reversed artwork so production choices wouldn’t force someone to improvise later. Typography, spacing, and simplified forms helped the designs hold together across small digital uses and larger physical pieces. I considered students making their own materials alongside professional vendors producing uniforms or signage. That changed how I approached the system: the identity needed to be recognizable, but it also needed to be practical for people with very different tools and levels of experience.

I made the handoff usable through organized files and plain-language guidelines explaining which version to choose and how to use it. Students, staff, and repeat vendors could work from the same kit instead of rebuilding or guessing. The school went on to name the frog Pickles through a student vote, and the illustration became a life-size mascot. That’s the outcome I like most: a carefully built identity that people could use, embrace, and make part of their everyday school life.