Designing the TEN

Being a part of e-Communication Department you are often asked to lend a creative hand, as teachers and as students.  For students we call it Endorsement Hours, where ours e-Communication Students do two years of 50 hours of work in an e-Communication field.  Logos, PSAs, Website Design… Whatever they can do as long as it is related to the industry that we teach them in class.

As teachers we do it for fun…  A chance to show that we can do something other than just teach.  I like to say bragging rights.  Also, it keeps us as teachers "practicing what we preach."  Last year I go to do a couple logos that I am proud of…  

To those students that know me after 2012, I love doing graphic design. I know that I always say Graphic Design is boring, and anybody can make a flat image.  It is because I am jealous and that loved teaching it.  Ask any of the Graphic Design students that graduated 2013 or prior.

The first logos…  I got stuck on an idea.
Sometimes you just need to scrap an idea and start fresh.
But one common theme of pointing to the Northwest with 10.

The ONW Ten Year:  

A logo celebrating 10 years of ONW being open.  When I was teaching Graphic Design I was approached to do a logo for this by Dr. Poss, ONW Principal.  I did multiple drawing and sketches as well as work on the computer.  I will have to find my original sketch of the "X" with the arrow pointing to the Northwest.  I do have it, just put it somewhere safe.  Safe means I will find it when I am designing the 20th anniversary logo.  

I scrapped all the previous ideas, and started sketching...
After doing a few sketches I settled in on the "X"

The X, Roman Numeral for 10, as you can see I worked through a few ideas prior to actually settling on the "X"  The other problem was getting the "X" to look right.  A normal "X" didn't seem to work, especially trying to make one side point.  So I used an "I," actually two.  One I attached an arrow to the top, and then used perspective and shear to get it to have the 3D look… Going bock into space.  Although the "X" is very simple there is a lot of though put into it.  

There are reasons for the font, the barbs under the arrow, the shield, everything that you do for a logo there must be a reason and understand those reasons.  

The font, yes it is actually Times New Roman, modified…  I figured Roman Numeral, Times New Roman… There is always stability and a sense of being classic in Times.  Thus, ONW being open for 10 years.  I say modified because it is sheared, stretched, and I changed the Serif on it quite a bit.  The Times font was more of a guide by the time I got done with it.

ONW Compass

The Barbs on the compass arrow pointing to the NW, I used them mainly for a visual stop.  If not the Arrow will take the viewers eye off the logo and towards the upper left side.  It is also looking at the original ONW Compass logo an mimicking the parts of that logo and tying them together.  In actual use the barbs on an arrow is to ensure that the arrow sticks to whatever it is shot/stuck into and doesn't come out...

The Shield, of course in typical meaning is protect, but it is in a "Coat of Arms."  Basically, I needed something for the "X" to sit on or it would have too mush negative space around it.  In Heraldry, the art of creating Coats of Arms,  a blue/azure shield means loyalty which goes with being the 10th Anniversary of ONW.  The shield was also gaining momentum in logos over the past few years.  In schools, it is often used just a typical depiction of the Crest.  Roman Numeral, Times New Roman, Arrows with Barbs, Shields…  Starting to see a theme?

Flat logo without being Embossed or Gradients.
Actually used for the Embroidery Logo.

Embossed, I have always been a fan of creating a little depth to my designs.  To make it appear that it comes out to the viewer.  Flat design is just that, FLAT, to grab a viewers attention should be the goal of any design.  To make your viewer stop and take a journey through a design, to lead their eye to what you want them to see, to spend a little time gazing upon the glory that is your ART!  

Come look at my glorious artwork…  ok, now go away… 

Top Left: Logo with ONW Mission Statement, shield solid blue.

Top Right: Logo with Olathe Northwest in 

                     Highway Font, shield split blue

Bottom: Logo with Bank Gothic, shield border shadow

Now with every logo I create I make many variations, now many is probably around the lines of 10-15 different ones to get settled into the final…

I will show them all on one sheet for you to see.  You might not see the exact changes but the are there… Scooting things around test out different looks.  One of the first actually had the ONW Mission Statement around the border of the shield.  Settling in on using the Raven head logo for the final one…  and still working out the sizes.

During this entire time I was in constant contact with Jay Novachek, ONW Athletic Director/Assistant Principal.  Bouncing all these ideas off of him…  I have to give some credit to him, although he didn't design it he was a critical part of the design process as I worked. 

But as you see, an outline appeared on the outside of the Raven Head.  Basically look at it with out the white outline, above, and with it, below. This logo appeared on a multitude of items from Letterheads to Banners.  When it was small the Raven Head disappeared and didn't POP enough so it appeared.  The same reason why I put a gradient on the beak…  to make the teeth of the raven POP!  

The OLATHE NORTHWEST font is Bank Gothic, no explanation, I like the font.  I can say that the Goths were always at war with the Romans… now I am just showing off with history knowledge.  Simply the font went well with the design.  I did click through a lot of the fonts, and it was a best monospaced san-serif font that I happened to like, that fit well in the space provided.

The rest of the logo is Highway Gothic font.  So, yes, it is the font that is used on all the highway signs.  I bet you didn't know that…  You can see it in the numbers mainly.  I used the same font on the STN shirts that year.  We road tripped to Dallas, and I recreated the I-35 sign on the back.  Had the font might as well use it.

So this is the design process of ONW's Tenth Anniversary logo...