Reimagining USD Athletics: A Case Study
Throughout 2024, I partnered with the University of San Diego Athletics Department to revitalize their brand and enhance their marketing presence across various channels.
Problem: The challenge of limited impact and a disconnected brand
USD's existing graphics lacked visual appeal and failed to resonate with the target audience.
Social media engagement was low, impacting ticket sales and alumni donations.
The brand lacked a unified voice and visual identity across different platforms.
Solution: The approach through multi-faceted brand strategy
Brand Strategy: Developed a comprehensive brand strategy encompassing brand identity, messaging, and visual guidelines.
Visual Identity: Created a dynamic visual identity system featuring a new color palette, typography, and logo variations.
Content Development: Designed visually striking marketing and print materials.
Social Media Strategy: Developed a social media strategy to increase audience engagement and drive conversions.
Design System: Created a design system with reusable templates for social media graphics, posters, and other marketing materials.
PROJECT DURATION
6 Months
SOFTWARE USED
Jump to my roles
Brand Strategy
To boost the University of San Diego's social media presence, I developed a comprehensive strategy that capitalized on the city's unique allure. Unofficially, I called it “We Are San Diego.”
By studying competitors' social media approaches and pinpointing areas to enhance USD's existing content, I proposed a theme that would resonate powerfully with the target audience. Inspired by San Diego's diverse landscapes and vibrant culture, this theme aimed to position USD as a premier university in one of the most attractive cities in the world.
Social Media
To elevate the University of San Diego's social media presence, I designed a comprehensive suite of customizable templates. Utilizing Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, I created visually striking graphics that aligned with the university's brand identity.
These templates were designed to be easily adapted for various sports and social media platforms, streamlining the content creation process for the USD design team. This collaborative approach enhanced the university's online presence and fostered a strong working relationship between the design team and the athletic department.
Animation
To energize the USD’s athletic brand, I created a series of dynamic animations using Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
These included a high-energy scoreboard graphic for the football team, a visually striking social media graphic for the tennis teams, and a captivating logo reveal for the baseball team.
By combining advanced animation techniques like rotoscoping and 3D text, I produced a batch of “hype” videos to announce the men’s and women’s tennis teams as they entered their respective national championships.
I also implemented advanced masking techniques using trim paths and shape layers to create a “write-on” effect for the men’s baseball team script logo.
This effect was particularly challenging to achieve due to the nature of the different thicknesses in each letter of the logo. This animation continues to live between innings at every home game.
As part of the rebranding initiative for the Toreros teams, I developed a series of visually engaging posters to promote schedules for the core men’s and women’s sports, such as football, soccer, and volleyball.
These posters incorporated the newly established brand identity, featuring a bold color palette, dynamic typography, and SoCal-inspired imagery. The goal was to create visually appealing and informative materials to excite the student body, alumni, and the broader San Diego community.
Go Toreros!
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Go Toreros! •
Beyond the posters, I also created a range of print materials to enhance the overall athletic experience. This included crafting distinct VIP and faculty badges for sporting events, developing facility signage, and designing apparel graphics.
Some of my t-shirt graphics were put into use right away as promotional items for the 2024 Fall sporting events.
Recognizing the varied preferences of sports fans, I created a collection of graphics with both modern and vintage aesthetics, appealing to virtually any USD supporter.
Branding
The brand guidelines for the Toreros Athletic Department were due for a refresh to match the new “We Are San Diego” theme. While the core blue colors remained the same, I expanded their digital palette with web-safe accent colors. I also included a CMYK version of this palette for physical media.
Midway through my contract, The USD Men’s Golf Team tasked me with creating a mascot logo. This logo would go in tandem with the ribbon ceremony of their new state-of-the-art practice facility.
My initial logo concept for the USD men's golf team was so well-received that it became the final design. I presented the team with a comprehensive logo package, including full-color and single-color variations, alternative vintage-inspired logos, patterns, merchandise mockups, and announcement graphics.
Social media announcement
Corded, 5-panel hat
Closing
This project was a rewarding opportunity to contribute to the University of San Diego's vibrant community. By creating designs that resonated with students, faculty, and alumni, I helped strengthen school spirit and enhance the overall campus experience.
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