Swoop Mascot Case Study
Overview
Miami University's mascot, Swoop the Redhawk, brings life and story to the branding of the Athletics department. My task at the University Communications & Marketing (UCM) office was to take Swoop and make 10 variations of him for each sports division, including basketball, soccer, tennis, track, and volleyball. Below outlines my design process for the Swoop variations of baseball and softball.
(Original Swoop is on the left, created by Kenzie Bryant)
Research
As a person that is not familiar with either baseball nor softball, my research was a crucial step to make the most accurate pose for Swoop. Along with gathering reference videos and photos online, I also consulted friends who played softball. They gave critiques throughout the process to make Swoop's swinging pose more authentic.
Ideation
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Step One
Small, low-fidelity poses are sketched out to capture the gesture. This step is intended to be quick and exploratory.
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Step Two
Once comfortable with drawing, I sketch a finalized illustration and digitally scan it.
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Step Three
After the best version is decided, I vectorize and color the pose in Illustrator.
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Step Four
Multiple revisions are made based on feedback from team members and my third-party softball friends.
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Step Five
Once revisions are complete, the final illustrations are presented to the client, who approves the baseball and softball Swoop variations.
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Animation
In my free time, I began the animation process for the baseball Swoop. This was done for two reasons: (1) I wanted to improve my animation skills, and (2) I wanted to impress the client. The animation could serve as an asset on a Jumbotron, played after a home run to hype up the crowd.
The animation took me about 10 hours. Exploring the animation process let me experiment with new skills and add extra value beyond the original scope of the project.
Other Deliverables
Coloring book
The coloring book was created for the 2024–25 Swoop’s Kids Club, an annual membership program that offers children ages 0–12 admission to sports games and themed goodie bags. The final product is a 12-page book featuring Swoop in a variety of sports poses. A key challenge during the process was balancing Swoop’s rounded yet sharp silhouette with the background elements. It was important to keep the pages cohesive while staying true to his distinct style.
Stickers and Apparel
The Swoop poses were developed into merchandise to be sold during games. These included stickers, scarves, hats, and tshirts.
Conclusion
Over the course of 3 weeks—and in between other UCM projects—10 Swoop sports illustrations were digitized and finalized. All sports divisions received personalized versions of Swoop, and I was proud to see my designs brought to life on their merchandise.
All Swoop Variations
Other UCM Projects
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Commencement Cover Designs
I was tasked with designing the commencement covers for the graduating class of 2025 for the main ceremony and each divisional college. After iterating with my design team and receiving client feedback, I designed a cover that utilizes campus photography of seasonal flowers. I created a template for easy dragging and dropping so the design could be reused in the future.
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Millet Visualization
This project aimed to redesign the entrance of Miami’s athletics building to be more on-brand and visually appealing. Once I measured the dimensions for the space, I used Blender to sculpt the various athletic gear and Photoshop to place it into the scene. The project is still pending approval, but I was happy to benefit UCM with my unique 3D skills.
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Athletics Canva Templates
At a large institution like Miami University, accessibility and brand consistency are very important. After noticing that the athletics department’s social media accounts were straying from brand guidelines, I developed a suite of Canva templates to help them stay on-brand.