ASUCLA student designer honored by AAF for Josie Bruin Illustration
ASUCLA student designer Zora earned an honorable mention at the American Advertising Federation awards ceremony on March 20 for her original Josie Bruin design.
Los Angeles, Calif., March 24, 2025 – In time with Women’s History Month, we recognize the work of Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) Marketing student graphic designer Xiangzi “Zora” Xu as her inspiring, female-forward illustration of Josie Bruin earned an Honorable Mention at the American Advertising Federation (AAF) awards ceremony. Celebrated by the AAF Los Angeles chapter on March 20, Zora’s work was among other moving student-curated marketing pieces for brands such as Amazon, McDonald’s, AT&T and more.
“I’m truly surprised and proud that my Jose Bruin design has earned AAF’s Honorable Mention,” said Zora, graduate student designer for ASUCLA. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see my work alongside so many other outstanding pieces, where all the countless revisions and tweaks have culminated in something tangible. I couldn’t have achieved this without my amazing ASUCLA Marketing family. I’m excited to continue creating more great work with all of you.”
The ASUCLA Marketing team at the American Advertising Awards ceremony on March 20.
The counterpart to UCLA’s iconic Joe Bruin mascot, Josie Bruin is not often a standalone character design. That was until July 2024, when Zora took inspiration from the 1970s Leaning Joe Bruin to create the unique illustration of Josie representing blue-and-gold pride.
Further emphasizing the significance of female empowerment, Zora’s artwork was unveiled at the UCLA Women’s Basketball opening game of the 2024-2025 season in Paris, France. To commemorate the occasion, the all-women’s team and their coaches were outfitted with custom-made T-shirts and traveling luggage tags sporting the newly-designed Josie Bruin illustration, appropriately leaning on the Eiffel Tower.
Zora’s work has not only been recognized by the AAF but has further inspired the release of a Josie Bruin T-shirt at the UCLA Store in February 2025. To stay up-to-date with ASUCLA, follow @asucla on Instagram.
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About ASUCLA:
Founded in 1919, Associated Students UCLA (ASUCLA) is a nonprofit association that drives vitally essential student services and activities throughout the UCLA campus. ASUCLA boasts the largest college store in the U.S., an extensive food program, UCLA® brand licensing programming through UCLA Trademarks & Licensing, and other services and programs that include student government and student media, which significantly enhances the quality of UCLA’s campus life. For more information and to stay connected, follow @asucla on Instagram or visit asucla.ucla.edu.