School board members for the Shawnee Mission School District, Kansas’ third-largest district with roughly 27,000 students, passed a measure requiring mascots to be culturally and racially sensitive and appropriate. Our experiential graphics team helped Shawnee Mission North High School transition mascots switching from the outdated Indians to the new bison. Students, administrators, and staff provided input on the new mascot and challenged us to maintain the red, white, and black color palette the school is known for. This familiar palette allows the new brand to connect with the school’s history, even though the mascot has changed. Like in other educational institutions, the brand is flexible to serve the visual identity for the school at large, and not simply the sports teams.

Our solution includes both a primary forward-facing identity mark, and a mark showing the bison from an active side view that is used in conjunction with the school’s athletic teams. Numerous alternate or secondary marks provide more variety and flexibility while maintaining the school’s brand. Our deliverables include identity marks, a brand guide, business materials, sports uniforms, and a variety of merchandise (tote bags, t-shirts, coffee mugs, stocking caps, baseball caps, scarfs and badges). DLR Group provided all experiential graphic design services for the project.