CTE students design new mascots, logos
Riverside’s Pirate logo has an interesting history.
After using the East Carolina University (ECU) logo for years, ECU threatened to sue Riverside if the school didn’t change its pirate logo.
“We kind of just took [ECU’s logo] and used it,” said CTE teacher David Robinson. “At some point they found out and told us to cease and desist, so we could not use that logo any longer.”
So Riverside created its current version. But not all of Robinson’s design students like the new look.
“They found it offensive,” he said. “They felt like it was a little racist even. That’s how we started having a conversation about creating a new logo and a new look for Riverside”.
Robinson thought it would be a good idea for his students to create their own Riverside logos. He created a project for them to compete during class, and like the results so much he thinks the school will consider adopting them.
“We have shared some of the students’ work with the building administration,” he said.
Robinson hopes the school leaders take his students’ work into consideration, but it’s not an official rebranding.
“This is just a classroom project,” he said. “This is actually something the students thought of. They didn’t actually know what the Riverside brand was.”
