Blaze Mascot Guidelines

Physical Mascot Appearances

Blaze appearances should promote school spirit, community pride, and positive engagement with Merced College audiences. Appearances are coordinated and approved through the Office of External Relations to ensure consistency, appropriateness tone, and responsible scheduling.

General Criteria

  • Appropriate settings include:
    • Student-life events that build campus spirit (welcome activities, athletics, celebrations).
    • Employee-engagement events where Blaze enhances morale or internal culture.
    • Community outreach, including parades, fairs, festivals, and local school visits where Blaze supports youth engagement, college awareness, and goodwill.
    • Prospective student outreach, such as recruitment events where his presence adds energy and excitement.
  • Avoid:
    • Events centered on serious, sensitive, or solemn topics (e.g., crisis response, memorials, safety/violence-prevention programming).
    • Formal academic, compliance, or institutional ceremonies where a more neutral tone is appropriate.
  • Tone: Blaze should appear in settings that are celebratory, upbeat, or community-building. His presence should never distract from or diminish the seriousness of an event’s purpose.
  • Edge Cases: Some events (e.g., departmental recognitions, certificate celebrations, small ceremonies) fall into a gray area. These will be evaluated by the Office of External Relations based on audience, context, and tone.
  • Availability: Blaze appearances are subject to the availability of trained student employees (who staff the mascot costume) and External Relations personnel who supervise the appearance. Scheduling constraints may limit approval even when an event qualifies.
  • How to Request: All appearance requests must be submitted through the External Relations Project Request Form: https://forms.office.com/r/G5DXF5UDj2
  • Final Approval: All mascot appearance decisions ultimately rest with the Vice President of External Relations (or designee).

Blaze in Marketing and Design

Blaze’s visual identity is a key part of our overall brand expression. His use in marketing and design should enhance school spirit and strengthen the Merced College brand in appropriate contexts. All graphic applications of Blaze—whether in print, digital media, or merchandise—are reviewed and approved by the Office of External Relations to maintain visual consistency, protect the mascot’s integrity, and ensure that materials reflect the right tone for each audience.

Guidelines

  • Use only approved Blaze artwork: No redraws, alternative poses, or original designs.
  • Blaze is a symbol of spirit, not an institutional logo: He should be used only as a secondary graphic in materials connected to student life, athletics, community spirit, or outreach.
  • Avoid using Blaze for:
    • Academic program marketing, administrative messaging, or compliance communications.
    • Serious or sensitive topics (e.g., safety, mental health crises).
    • Formal institutional, executive, or presidential communications.
  • No new mascots or mascot-like characters: Departments, programs, and student groups may not create their own characters, illustrations, or branded figures that resemble or function as Merced College mascots.
  • All uses of Blaze in print, digital, or merchandise require approval from the Office of External Relations before production.

Alternatives to Blaze in Marketing

When using Blaze is not appropriate, recommended alternatives include:

  • Spirit branding elements: Use the officially approved trident or other logos for spirit- or student-related materials.
  • Academic logos and marks: Use the officially approved academic logos and sub-identities as primary visual identifiers in place of the mascot.
  • Program-specific icons or illustrations: Custom visuals may be developed within brand standards (without depicting Blaze). All custom visuals should be reviewed and approved by the Office of External Relations prior to use.
  • Photography: Utilize student, classroom, and campus imagery to convey warmth, inclusion, celebration, or seriousness as needed.