San Francisco, CA - At the start of the fall 2010 semester, students in Darrell Hayden's Identity II Graphic Design class had no idea what was in store for them. The semester began like most; small assignments to get acclimated before diving into the tough stuff. But as Hayden's class plunged into their semester, a different type of design challenge was presented. Their job was to redesign the existing Pacific West Conference logo.
Director of Athletics, Dr. Jamie Williams, had pitched this concept to the PacWest and Academy of Art University Director of Graphic Design, Mary Scott, one year prior. Dr. Williams' vision was to utilize the impressive skills of ART U's student designers and offer the PacWest an opportunity to re-brand their image. “The Academy is unique in what it offers in terms of constant creative and visual content,” stated Dr. Williams. “I saw no reason why the PacWest should not take advantage of this unique ability. It's a win-win for everyone involved.”
With Scott's approval, the project was assigned to Hayden, a design instructor, who embraced the opportunity to provide his students with real-world experience. “The opportunity was tremendous for everyone involved,” exclaimed Hayden. “It was fitting that the one design school in the NCAA would be chosen to revitalize the PacWest brand.”
The advanced graphic design students embraced the challenge. When Ericka Ames, a fourth-year student and former student-athlete (softball, 2009), heard the class would be involved with the project, she said, “I was stoked. I had experience as a student-athlete and I was happy to be able to contribute to a world that I like and respect.”
After Hayden met with PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue to agree on appropriate attributes the logo should project, the class started by doing research. Led by Hayden, they learned about the history and members of the PacWest Conference. To gain further understanding of the collegiate landscape they compared logos of all the Division I, II, and III conferences and institutions, ensuring the new logo would be unique.
To help inspire the students, they attended an Urban Knight volleyball game. Many had never been to an ART U athletic event, giving them a new perspective and respect for what the impact of the re-branding project. Chen Chen, a fourth-year student, reflected on her experience at the volleyball game which was her first sporting event. “It was different than what I thought it would be – it was very exciting!” exclaimed Chen Chen. “Going to watch the game helped me improve my design and helped me understand the competitiveness and fight of student-athletes.”
After weeks of deliberate and thorough design exploration including group critiques conducted each week in class, each student submitted a possible logo. The results were narrowed down from 16 to four finalists. With the finalists' work needing fine-tuning, the remaining students teamed up in groups of four to finish the work. “It was different than typical design classes,” commented Nathan Godding, a fourth-year student whose logo was chosen to be a finalist. “Partly because the project was real and partly because we worked in teams towards a common goal. I was honored to be chosen as a finalist.”
Just days before the end of the semester, Hayden explained to the class what still needed to be done. In order for their work to be presented at the conference meetings to be held in early January, the work had to be flawless in every way. Director Mary Scott visited the class to offer last minute recommendations for the finalists, and Hayden directed the students' final efforts. Shortly thereafter, Hayden took the final four logos, with samples of stationery, clothing, banners, and web design, to the NCAA conference in San Antonio, TX. “A logo is only as successful as how effectively it is implemented,” said Hayden. “We needed to show each of the logos in potential real-life situations to give the committee members a sense of the possibilities.”
The work was scrutinized by PacWest staff members and athletic directors, with one logo unanimously chosen, entitled Evolution. Standing alone was Chen Chen's blue oval, which evolves the original logo into a new contemporary look that depicts sky, mountains, and sea. Evolution also reflects the PacWest's recent expansion and goal of being the premier Division II Conference in the west.
“We're very excited about the logo and very appreciative of the great work of Academy of Art,” PacWest Commissioner Bob Hogue said. “Darrell, Chen Chen, Jamie, the entire Graphic Design department at Academy of Art, and many others were so helpful in this process. This [logo] represents an exciting step forward for our conference. To me, it represents the beauty, the growth, and the strength of the PacWest. I think those are three integral parts of what we're doing now as a conference and the logo definitely represents that. We're very excited about the different areas: We've got the oceans, the bays, the valleys, the mountains, and all of that is represented.”
The Identity II Graphic Design class was appreciative for the opportunity. Not only was it a unique assignment, but it was realistic and applicable to their future as graphic designers.
“I have been in branding since starting my career decades ago as a designer working for Saul Bass in Los Angeles,” added Hayden. “Over the years, I have managed large-scale international branding programs like Hyatt Hotels, American Film Institute, Sunkist, FedEx, and many more. The prospect of seeing the new PacWest brand implemented is as exciting as any work I've ever done. I am proud of how hard my students worked, and how they were able to pull this together. Go Urban Knights!”
