Lee Froggatt, from Orford and a former Graphic Design student at Warrington Collegiate, is responsible for illustrating the new newly revamped Pride the Lion, Team GB Mascot for 2012.
“One of my dreams as a child was to create an Olympic mascot. I used to doodle as a kid and I’m absolutely delighted to have illustrated Pride for London 2012” says Lee, who is one of the small, dedicated creative team at the British Olympic Association.
London is the second Olympic Games for Pride, who sprang into being at Beijing, 2008 where he helped inspire Team GB to fourth place in the medal table, winning a record breaking number of 47 medals.
Pride’s name resulted from a competition on Children’s TV in 2008 to name the official Team GB Mascot. Out of 35,000 entries ‘Pride’ was chosen. Lilly Sykes from London explained her choice saying, “A family of Lions is called a pride and it reflects how proud we should be of our country and all our Team GB athletes as they compete with determination and courage at the Olympic Games”
Like Pride Lee’s career has undergone quite a transformation. After graduating from Warrington Collegiate with an HND in Graphic Design, Lee decided to take a year out travelling and working abroard, spending some time in Spain to decide on the direction he wanted his career to go.
He returned to the UK and quickly established himself as a rising star in the creative world, working on many different projects, always moving on to bigger and better things. But he still feels that he hasn’t quite found his niche, “I’m still not sure exactly what I want to be when I grow up – I know, I’m 27! I always knew I wanted to make things and I couldn’t be happier doing what I’m doing today but hopefully I plan to move into film in the future either writing or directing, this has always been something of a passion of mine”.
Lee is a keen sports fan himself and after putting his CV on Twitter and saying “I’m on the market and looking for new creative roles!” he was delighted to be contacted by an agency who was looking for a Graphic Designer for the British Olympic Association. 3 weeks and 5 interviews later Lee found himself in his current demanding and exciting role for Team GB.
When Pride the Lion needed a new look for the London Olympics Lee just knew that he had to get involved and since then has been immersed in the creation of various poses of Pride which will feature across the Team GB merchandise.
Helen McNicholas, Lecturer in Art and Design at Warrington Collegiate remembers Lee well and has followed his career with interest. She commented “It was obvious on first meeting Lee that he had a natural flair for design and the work that he produced while studying here at Warrington Collegiate displayed a real understanding of the subject. It has been great seeing Lee really progress in his design career and I am so proud of his achievement with Pride the Lion.”
Lee doesn’t often get the opportunity to get back to Warrington, but he remembers his time at Warrington Collegiate saying “Working with Helen gave me a great insight into the world of design. She was great at getting live briefs for her students so we gained real work experience and an introduction to this very competitive industry. She also taught me that self promotion is key, get yourself out there and show the world what you can do, get a website, business cards, and network. I’ve done all of these things and continue to do so.”
Pride is passionate about Team GB and Olympic Sport, his favourite quote being “Better never Stops.” He is planning to join social networks such as Twitter and Facebook saying “In London 2012 Team GB will field our greatest team ever. With the support of you and me who knows what our team can achieve. So, come on, join me in supporting Team GB—Our Greatest Team and roar with Pride.”
