Designer Lauren
In collaboration with Carnegie Dartlet for research, and the marketing team at NEIU for developing messaging, we created a new brand and tagline for Northeastern Illinois University. I lead all creative on the rebrand including print, digital and video design.
CUSTOM ILLUSTRATION | DIGITAL MARKETING | BRANDING
The original intercollegiate mascot and the student-created logo existed side-by-side, used freely by members of the university without guidelines. Often times being manipulated for usage by different departments and student run groups as logos for their respective areas or on social media and t-shirts. Initial discussions for an official logo began in 2019 when the university invested in a brand new university mascot costume.
The illustration should represent the personality research conducted in 2019 and highlight the tenacity and determination of our students. Keywords to consider include pride, perseverance and resilience.
The final product should be on par with other educational institutions in Illinois, as well as institutions represented by an eagle.
The final mascot illustration should resemble the Goldie costume.
The illustration should align with the elements outlined in NEIU’s official brand guidelines; in particular, Northeastern’s color palette should be utilized.
Sourcing golden eagle imagery was important in illustrating concepts that aligned with the correct type of eagle and coloring, while considering the look of the mascot costume and university brand guidelines.
Pulling inspiration from successful professional mascot illustrations, whether from universities or sports teams, was crucial in making sure the creation of the new Goldie mascot was on part with other professional institutions.
Over 10 versions of the Goldie mascot were designed, trying different styles and angles to determine which best fit the university’s personality research, the new Goldie costume, real life golden eagles, etc.
The final mascot illustration was chosen for the softer-yet determined look, the blend of both real life golden eagle coloring and university brand colors, and the resemblance to the physical mascot. To tease the release of the new mascot, several short videos were created and blasted on social media at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021 to ring in the new year. Each video gave away clues and allowed for commentary to guess what the reveal would be. This created early engagement and excitement for the offical rollout.
