The Elmont Memorial High School Logo Redesign committee, led by art chairperson Chris Yee, Assistant Principal Alicia Calabrese and professional mentor-artist Gerard Flannory, enlisted eight art students to recreate Elmont Memorial High School’s Spartan head.
Principal Kevin Dougherty called for the committee to be put together to update and give new identity to the school community.
Asked about being charged with rebranding the school, Yee said, “It is a big honor. Elmont Memorial is an extremely diverse and hardworking community of really dedicated educators and scholars, which is deserving of having its own unique logo that will be the face of the school for many generations to come.”
The team of students consisted of Sabah Ahsan, Elmina Angrand, Andrew Guaman, Elisha Jean, Kasia Lewis, Karl Nieves, Melody Randolph and Jibin Varghese-Biju. Each contributed to draw up the final work of art. Graphic designer/illustrator Flannory provided professional experience for the students, walking them through the creative process of brainstorming, designing, working collaboratively and assessing their final work. The committee was able to use Elmont’s new Art Mac Lab for piecing the sketches together in Photoshop. Once all of the ideas were in, Flannory made the final version in Illustrator for review and revision, and once finalized, closed out the monthlong process. The look and shape of the new Spartan head that incorporates the school’s letters in the helmet’s crest conveys many of the school’s qualities such as strength, precision, determination and perseverance. The team chose official fonts, as well as a new official shade of green, and devised rules for correctly using the logo and options for creating alternate versions, all of which were explained in the professional style guide that accompanies the workable files.
Flannory said to the students, “I had fun working with all of you. I’m always glad to spread a little knowledge to others.”
The final duty of the committee was to officially reveal the logo and present the guide to the cabinet. Early feedback was that the coaches and advisers loved it and couldn’t wait to use it. The first club to utilize the new logo was GSA, who advertised their new T-shirt for sale just a day after the logo was made available. The Olympian advisers also revamped the yearbook’s cover to include it.
