Brand moodboard
for Wildcats Uni

The look, feel & character we want our student brand to express — bold, young, alive.

Sub-brandWildcats Uni (VNUK)
CharacterPlayful & Youthful
Core colorWildcats Pink · #EF345E
PreparedJune 2026
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The character

Young, loud, and proudly un-corporate

Wildcats Uni is the student face of Wildcats. Same fearless DNA as the parent brand — just warmer, more playful, and built for energy. If it feels like a polite university flyer, it's wrong.

Playful, not childish

Fun and cheeky — humour, movement, color. Confident enough to not take itself too seriously.

🔥

Bold & edgy

Sharp, current, unapologetic. We lead with attitude before information.

🤝

Community-first

"By students, for students." Belonging and real faces over polished stock perfection.

Color

Pink leads. The rest play.

Wildcats Pink stays the hero (we are keeping the original palette). Yellow, blue and green back it up — each tied to a brand value. Electric yellow is a flair accent only.

Wildcats Pink
#EF345E
Hero — logo, CTAs, highlights
Yellow · GRIT
#FFC00D
Numbers, steps, energy
Blue · PLAY
#1C75FA
Frameworks, info blocks
Green · IMAGINE
#00AD66
Fresh / positive accents
Electric Yellow
#EEFF41
Flair accent ONLY
Black
#000000
Default brand background
White
#FFFFFF
Text on dark, clean layouts
Signature gradient
pink → blue → yellow
Heroes, dividers, banners
Gradient A — pink → blue → black (section dividers)approved palette only
Gradient B — pink → yellow → orange (hero backgrounds)approved palette only
Typography

Poppins shouts. Playfair whispers.

Heavy geometric sans for impact, an italic serif for soul. Both free on Google Fonts — easy to keep consistent everywhere.

Primary — Poppins
Aa Bb Cc
Poppins Bold — headings & hero text
Poppins Regular — body copy, captions, info. Clean, friendly, confident. The workhorse of every poster, slide and post.
A B C 1 2 3 ! ?
Accent — Playfair Display Italic
“Start small & multiply.”
Used for section labels (Strategy · Values · Mission) and emphasis words. Adds warmth + personality against the bold sans. Sparingly — it's the spice, not the meal.
A B C 1 2 3
Personality system

Four values, four colors

Every color carries meaning. Designers can lean on this to pick a palette per piece — not random color, color with intent.

BOLD

Pink · fearless, unapologetic

GRIT

Yellow · determination, energy

PLAY

Blue · fun, curiosity

IMAGINE

Green · creativity, vision
Imagery direction

Real faces, real energy

Candid student moments over polished stock. Movement, laughter, hands-on building. Dark overlay so text stays loud. The mascot (goggle cat, grad-cap version for Uni) shows up in fun, welcoming contexts.

Wildcats Uni imagery
Bold color blockingPhotos on pink / gradient panels
Movement & joyAction, not stiff posed shots
UseCandid student events, workshops, hands building, genuine laughter, Da Nang campus life.
Treatment~40–60% dark overlay on photos · bold pink/yellow text on top · gradient accents.
MascotGoggle-wearing Wildcat, grad-cap version for Uni — welcome posts & fun moments only.
Tone of voice

How it should feel

✓ Wildcats IS

  • Bold — fearless, unapologetic
  • Edgy — sharp, not safe
  • Unique — never generic
  • Trendy — current, alive
  • Warm & student-friendly (Uni only)

✕ Wildcats is NOT

  • Sweet
  • Too girly
  • Impersonal / corporate
  • Calm / too zen
  • A formal university flyer
Quick rules

Do & Don't

Do

  • Keep Wildcats Pink as the hero color
  • Pair Poppins (bold) with Playfair italic accents
  • Default to dark/black backgrounds with loud text
  • Use real student photos with a dark overlay
  • Let color carry meaning (BOLD/GRIT/PLAY/IMAGINE)
  • Keep the pink logomark visible

Don't

  • Don't make it sweet, pastel or "girly"
  • Don't go corporate / flat / formal
  • Don't use random stock or off-palette colors
  • Don't stretch, recolor or deconstruct the logo
  • Don't bury text on a busy photo (overlay it)
  • Don't overuse the mascot — it's a treat
Out in the world

References & 2026 direction

The playful-youthful lane we're aiming for, backed by current 2026 brand-design trends — so the new identity feels fresh, not dated.

Duolingo — mascot-led play

Rounded, geometric sans that echoes its owl mascot; fun, friendly communication. A model for how our goggle-cat mascot + Poppins can carry personality.

kittl.com — 2026 font trends

Kidcore & color-blocking

Chunky rounded type, bright color blocking and gradient-filled shapes = pure youthful energy. Maps directly onto our pink + gradient system.

kittl.com — kidcore typography

Bold geometric sans

Thick, impactful geometric sans-serifs convey power, clarity and confidence — ideal for Gen Z. Confirms Poppins Bold as the right hero face.

sagedesigngroup.biz — 2026 visual trends

Personality over polish

2026 favours human-made imperfection, tactile texture and emotional accessibility — design that signals psychological safety. That's our "community, real faces" instinct.

supercharged.studio — Gen Z design
Sources: Kittl — Font trends 2026 · Sage Design Group — 2026 Visual Trends Report · Supercharged Studio — Gen Z design trends · Creative Bloq — Typography trends 2026
Brand specs (colors, fonts, mascot, tone) from Wildcats Brand Guidelines v5, Sept 2024.