The UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs have introduced a new brand for their athletics department on Monday.
Their new primary logo features a slug with a smile on its face and trees in the background referencing UC Santa Cruz’s wooded campus.
According to Clint Angus, associate director for Athletics and Recreation at UC Santa Cruz, the school’s previous “Strong Slug” logo was challenging to reproduce, therefore a new look was needed.
UC Santa Cruz hired Skye Design Studios, based in New Jersey, to create the new identity.
Skye Dillon, owner of Skye Design Studios, says the new version honors the UC Santa Cruz traditional Fiat Slug.
“It is gender-neutral; incorporates anatomical detail; highlights environmental awareness; positions the department clearly within the UC system; conveys our active, fit, and confident persona through the stylistic lens of a lifestyle brand. But most importantly, it reflects the collective voice of the entire UC Santa Cruz community,” Dillon said.
The decision to make a logo change by the Athletics and Recreation department took five input sessions and over 15,000 survey responses by students, faculty, alumni and the local community. About 70 percent of the respondents favored a new design.
“We were mindful about asking the community about anatomical correctness throughout the campaign,” Angus said. “Most of our survey respondents were interested in a caricature more than a literal interpretation of the Banana Slug.”
“I’m really excited about this outcome,” said UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive. “Obviously, everything changed this year because of COVID-19, but the way (Athletics) was able to handle the outreach, with 15,000 survey responses throughout the academic year, is really fantastic.”
The old “Strong Slug” logo will be moved to a “heritage mark” that will be used on special occasions.