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Archbishop Ryan High School

Evolving a Mascot, Preserving a Legacy

Brand Strategy & Identity

Mascot Design, Visual Identity, Stakeholder Sessions, Focus Groups

Overview

In 2020, Archbishop Ryan phased out the images of its longtime mascots but kept the names Raiders and Ragdolls. The original visuals had drawn complaints over time — including concerns about cultural appropriation — and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia ultimately required the school to eliminate the imagery.

Inside the school community, however, there was deep attachment to the mascots and what they represented. In the years that followed, the school kept school spirit moving with the Raider and Ragdoll names. But without a true mascot visual to embody them, it leaned on a simple initials mark in their place. Over time, it became clear that something was missing for students. Even small traditions were impacted — like not being able to participate in an annual mascot race among local Catholic schools.

A Design Process that Builds Buy-in

We designed a guided engagement process with clear roles and a clear goal: make a decision the community could understand, even if not everyone personally preferred it.

We began with two stakeholder sessions. One brought together a student focus group of 37 students across grades 9–12. The other included adults from across the community, including faculty, staff, administrators, coaches, alumni, and board members. From there, we formed a small, merged Working Group to move from input to decisions and give the final direction both clarity and credibility.

Creating Alignment

Before exploring what the mascots could look like, the Working Group addressed the foundational question: should Archbishop Ryan keep Raiders and Ragdolls, or replace them with a single new mascot?

The decision was to keep both. The legacy of the two mascots represented the school’s culture and distinctive co-ed identity in a way a replacement could not. That decision set the bar for the creative work: the new imagery had to feel unmistakably Ryan, while leaving behind what no longer fit.

Reimagining the Raider and Ragdoll

With direction set, we explored a range of visual paths — including pirates, angels, and swashbucklers. The final answer was a bold new pair of winged guardian characters. They were designed to be meaningful to the community and ready to live across school spirit and athletics.

The final designs carried intentional symbolism throughout. Wings connected to Catholic identity. Celtic-inspired armor and knotwork belts reinforced the school’s heritage, including a buckle modeled after Archbishop Patrick John Ryan’s cross. Hoods referenced the Franciscan roots of the school. Subtle details, like a red yarn braid and white cloth sleeves, quietly echoed the Ragdoll legacy. Shadowed, masked faces increased inclusivity. Any student can see themselves reflected in the mascots. A unifying color system tied the pair together, combining black and red with gold.

Alongside the mascots, we created supporting athletics marks, including a shield-style system and typography for sports use, plus a matching AR mark to serve as a primary logo across school applications.

A New Chapter for School Spirit

Archbishop Ryan’s reveal positioned the Raider and Ragdoll as a unified front — two mascots representing one school community — and emphasized a student-led process that brought people into the decision, not just the final design.

With a new mascot system and supporting athletics marks in place, the school now has an identity that can show up consistently across sports, spirit wear, communications, and campus culture. The community also has a clear story for why the change happened and how the decision was made. That clarity helps keep the focus on what the mascots were always meant to do: build pride, connection, and momentum.