Students design Lucerne 2021 mascot

Four student-artists from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts – Design & Art have each designed one mascot character. A jury will select one of the proposals as the mascot of the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade at the end of the month. It will be presented to the public on 21 January 2020, exactly one year before the opening ceremony.

LUCERNE – The Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade from 21 to 31 January 2021 is the world’s largest multi-sport event for students in winter. In addition to participants who successfully combine professional sport and studies, the focus will also be on Swiss students. The Organising Committee is already focusing on students in the planning and organisation of the event. For example, four students from the Animation programme at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts are designing the mascot of the multisport event. “The development of a mascot is a very nice task and a unique opportunity – but it is also extremely demanding,” says Jürgen Haas, Head of the BA Programme Animation, and the industry expert knows: “You rarely get such an opportunity in your later professional life.”

The aspiring artists show great commitment to the Winter Universiade 2021. Four female students, Jacqueline Carter, Luisa Zürcher, Emmanuelle Pétermann and Pauline Tomkowitz, volunteered for the student project and worked on it in their leisure time. The decision to participate was easy, as Luisa Zürcher says. Because: “What could be more exciting than designing a mascot that you can perhaps even embrace in reality?” It is also a very special task for her colleague Jacqueline Carter: “As an animator, I enjoy creating characters that express a strong personality and I thought I can apply what I learned onto the development of the mascot.”

The student works of the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade are intended to offer students an exciting added value. Emmanuelle Pétermann from Lausanne also confirms that she was able to gain important experience during the development of the mascot: “I have learnt to be conscious and precise in my drawings, and that the communication, especially listening to advice, is really important.” Pauline Tomkowitz from Germany adds: “You can’t avoid criticism. I’ve learned to be honest with myself.” Luisa Zürcher, from Lucerne, benefited not only from the design process but also from the contact with the client: “This is the first time I have come into contact with the situation of working together with clients and this is an important experience for the post-graduate period.”

The students are currently in the final stages of their work. At the end of the month, a jury of seven will decide on a mascot. Fabienne Meyerhans, Director of Marketing and Sponsoring and responsible for the mascot project, has gained initial insights into the designs and is impressed: “The students have exceeded our expectations of the project. The young artists approached their tasks with incredible motivation and creativity. This can be seen in the imaginative designs.” Fabienne Meyerhans adds: “It will be difficult to select a mascot”. The mascot will be presented to the public on 21 January 2020.

Interested students can still realise numerous projects and contribute their ideas. The complete overview can be found on the website of the organising committee at .