Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Logo committee selects final two submissions

A committee tasked with finding a new athletics logo has narrowed down the submissions to two finalists, which students will be able to vote on starting Oct. 20.

The committee hopes to have a winner by Oct. 24, according to junior Danny Dranoff, a student representative on the committee, who said they received about 30 submissions. 

Dranoff, a marketing communication major, said the team received submissions until the Sunday night deadline, then reviewed and narrowed them down to 15 to 20 designs. 

From there, the committee cut it down to a final two, which, along with the original logo, will be put on the ballot for student to vote on, Dranoff said.  

The process for finding a new logo designed specifically for Emerson’s sports teams began months ago. Over the summer, the school released a logo, designed by an outside firm, which was quickly hit with public backlash and subsequently withdrawn. In September, the athletics department instead decided to hold a contest for the students to design a new logo. 

The committee originally set the logo submission deadline for Oct. 5, but extended it for a week after Dranoff said they didn’t get as many as they had desired.

The focus group also consists of Ronald Ludman, the dean of students; Lindsay DeStefano, the athletic administrator; Andrew Tiedemann, the vice president for communications and marketing; and Lu Ann Reeb, an executive-in-residence and the business studies and entrepreneurship program director. Dranoff said the group also plans to find two more students, including an athlete.

Athletic Director Pat Nicol will oversee all activity by the committee. 

For the group, the goal of the contest and open process is to keep the Emerson community involved, according to Dranoff, who said the committee did as much as they could to make this happen.

“Patricia Nicol was brand new here, and I don’t think she realized or had experienced this school and the students’ abilities,” said Dranoff. “And the mistake was made of not having student involvement.”

But student reactions to the contest remain mixed.

 Cristina Ashbaugh, a freshman political communication major and women’s cross country runner, said she had issues with what has gone on in the past few months.

“I think the original idea to rebrand Emerson athletics was a fantastic idea; because we never really had a concrete design that could be on every jersey or athletic apparel item,” Ashbaugh said. “However, I think they addressed the issue all wrong. I think Emerson is completely to blame for the [logo] since they didn’t properly research artists once they chose to go with an outside hire to make the new logo.” 

The final vote will be held via ballot.

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

The Berkeley Beacon intends for this area to be used to foster healthy, thought-provoking discussion. We welcome strong opinions and criticism that are respectful and constructive. Comments are only posted once approved by a moderator and you have verified your email. All users are expected to adhere to our comment section policy. READ THE FULL POLICY HERE: https://berkeleybeacon.com/comments/
All Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *