Correction: In this article a quote was originally misattributed. The quote that the alumni club received 50 ‘wonderful and wacky’ logo entries was said by Eric Colchamiro. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

The Syracuse University Alumni Club of Washington, D.C., has decided to change its logo in hopes of better appealing to and connecting with the alumni community in D.C.

In its search for a new logo, the alumni club allowed anyone to submit logo ideas and images through its website until Sept. 3. The club is currently reviewing all submissions and plans to make a final decision at its annual meeting on Oct. 12.

‘The process has given us the opportunity to reach out to alumni in the D.C. region and continue to build a base in the area,’ said Eric Colchamiro, president of the alumni club.

The submission guidelines on the club’s website specified the entry logos had to contain one or two colors, not contain gradients, be five inches by five inches of original art and be submitted in Photoshop format.

The club received more than 50 ‘wonderful and wacky’ entries from alumni, students and friends of SU, Colchamiro said. 

The alumni club plans to use the logo across different platforms, from alumni sports team shirts to letterheads, all working to engage and network the SU alumni community of D.C.

‘The club attracts all different types of graduates. … Now graduates who have an interest in graphic design know about the club,’ said Lauren Appelbaum Fusfield, immediate past-president of the alumni club.

In an effort to increase scholarship funds for graduate and undergraduate SU students, the logo will be used as a fundraising tool to print on items for sale, such as mugs and apparel.

A logo ‘should reflect your public identity,’ said Ken Harper, assistant professor of visual and interactive communications at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. ‘Yet it must be simple enough to convey a message.’

Knowing one’s audience is key, Harper said. He said logo makers should ask themselves, ‘Who am I trying to speak to?’ and ‘Will that imagery represent me in a way I find desirable?’

Harper cited Google’s logo: colorful, widely spaced, circus-like and fun.

His ideal logo for the alumni club would be orange, maintaining the legacy colors to connect with the memories of the alumni. He would use a strong font, representing stability and agility.

‘A logo should represent who you are,’ Harper said, ‘through color, shape, font choice and size.’

dsbrauns@syr.edu

Published on September 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm