Meet our College Championships Bear

It's been a few years since VC has merchandised the USA Ultimate College Championships... and we're thrilled to be back!

We first wanted to refresh the College Championships logo. Quite often, event logos are crest-based or can have a "corporate" feel, which works for many events – we've created more crest logos than we can count, and we'll likely keep designing them! However, as these are the first College Championships since 2019, coupled with the first time it's been held at the end of the calendar year instead of the school year, we wanted to create something truly unique.

The Original Brief

What comes to mind when you think of California? Beaches, palm trees, the ocean? Great... except Norco, California is 1.5 hours inland, meaning a surf/beach concept wasn't suitable in this case.

Every VC design starts with a brief and Pinterest-like mood boards for the designer working on the project. A major inspiration behind this logo came from retro California logos and a grungier skateboarding theme.

The first logo concepts featured variations of the bear – borrowed from the California flag – and a sign, star or state outline.

"The idea came from the flag of California", said Marijo Zlatic, VC's lead Creative Designer. "But this bear is definitely on the D line, taking on the toughest match-up."

A Bear for All Tastes

The VC team loved the concept at first sight, but there were comments stating it looked a little too angry. Our next round of concepts focused on a few different versions of the original design.

When asked to reflect on the different bears Marijo says, "The mean one was good for me... But maybe something tied to the entire state? Hang loose for the west coast vibe, the serious one for “business” and Hollywood, and the mean one for wildlife and good sports teams."

This is how our bear gained its three personalities: Fierce, Focused and Hanging Loose. Each of these have been incorporated into their own design line(s); we hope you enjoy them!

Virtual VC Merch Tent

The VC Merch Tent for the 2021 USA Ultimate College Championships will remain open until January 4th, 2022. 

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Looking for custom team apparel, or uniforms for the Spring season? View our 2022 US College uniform offer!