SHIYAN
CHEN
SVA Mascot Design
January - April 2025
Created on Adobe Photoshop
The School of Visual Arts' student government initiated the idea of students pitching ideas for the school's official pigeon mascot. My original pigeon, "Sammy," along with two other student designs, were chosen by the design department and Student Government. We worked together to develop new ideas, and three final designs were presented to the student body for voting.
From representational to abstract.
Brainstorming Variations of a Pigeon
Final Designs in Variations
Patch: Final Design for SVA Student Votes
Patch is a curious, friendly, and expressive pigeon communicating its thoughts and creativity through its neck. It can be used as a navigation tool, provoke questions, and be decorative like a patch.
Original Submission for Student Ideas
My concept for the new SVA pigeon mascot is to create an energetic character that blends in with the atmosphere of New York City and is specific to the school because of its colors. It is highly flexible and can be customized for different promotional purposes and to engage the students because the character will be adored for its personality and appearance.
Sammy is a funny, nonchalant, and yet motivated character. They have always wanted to study art and design since they were little because it is what makes them happy. They get excited about every event at SVA. They love to help others, but sometimes they also make mistakes, like sleeping past the alarm or forgetting their notebook. Even though they are well-liked characters, they are unique and have edges to their personality, giving them charisma, and hence the bold and sharp typeface for their name. They are very expressive about their emotions and opinions; they are not afraid to speak up. However, they are very approachable and many think they are adorable.​
The pigeon mascot is placed in different SVA and NYC environments to show its adaptability to the colors of various scenes. It is always an icon for SVA because of its bright orange beak and turgoise feathers on the neck and wings, which are the corporate colors. The main body is two shades of grey to harmonize with NYC because it is known as the concrete jungle. The character is positive, independent and unconventional because the beak color is the highlight of the face, different from common pigeon's grey beak, showing the importance of the mascot's voice. The warm orange and big round eyes conveys its positive personality and curiosity. The pigeon is a so anthropomorphisized through the eyebrows, which makes it easier to convey emotions, such as anger, sadness, and happiness, which brings the character alive.
