WHAT THE DEVIL! After more than 50 years, the Poly Blue Devil mascot gets a refresh. POLY PREP COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
At
the 2021 Homecoming, Martin Kafina ’71 recalled for fellow 50th Reunion celebrants how in January of 1968 Poly students held a contest to pick a school mascot to boost athletics. A committee came up with ideas and took suggestions from the students, who then voted in their homerooms. Kafina’s suggestion of a Blue Devil got the most votes and he won Knicks tickets. Poly had a new nickname and shortly thereafter, a new student-created design. “It’s unusual for a mascot design to remain unchanged for more than 50 years,” said Jennifer Slomack, Poly’s Director of Engagement & Communications. “Normally, a mascot is refined or refreshed so that it evolves along with the institution and the times.” She added, “the Poly of 1968 is very different from the Poly of 2021. The original devil design predates the enrollment of girls, the addition of seven Lower School grades, and communicating through social media and other digital platforms. We were overdue for purposeful discussions and a thoughtful refresh.” Slomack led the internal committee and worked with the brand agency, Fancy NYC, and award-winning illustrator and cartoonist Ken Niimura, in a process that spanned four months—from the first creative brief to an entire new sub-brand around the devil. “It’s not just one design,” Slomack said. There are now multiple marks, logotypes, graphic elements, and spaces for customization that students can use to visualize their Poly Blue Devil activities, including a sidekick created for Lower School. “For a long time, the mascot was used mainly for athletics, but the new design system was created to serve Poly stories across all divisions and disciplines,” she said. “Every Poly student is a Blue Devil.”
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