UU, the mascot for the Shenzhen Summer Universiade, is the brainchild of a design team headed by Wang Yuefei, a renowned local designer. The other four members of the team are graphic designers Guo Dong and Xing Yishun, animation designer Wang Guanqun and 3D animation designer Li Xinyi.

    UU, close kin to the Universiade emblem, is a smiling face developed from the Happy U. In the shape of a U, the initial letter of “Universiade,” it represents a significant departure from tradition as important sport meetings tend to use human figures, animals or plants as their mascots.

    UU is capable of a variety of facial expressions: joyous, sweet and somewhat playful. These trendy and cheerful images are designed to embody the great vitality and uplifting spirit of young people, express the expectation of the host city, and highlight the role of the Games as a stage where young athletes with different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds compete and show their best form.

    The creation of the mascot is the result of collective wisdom. A total of 2,007 proposals were submitted and the age of participants ranges from 9 to 70.

    (SD-Agencies)