Graphic design club creates new masthead for The Tower
Published Feb. 9, 2017
A simple run-in with Kean University’s Graphic Organization President Ryan Quinn at freshman orientation last summer has led to a new masthead for The Tower.
It was there that Rebecca Panico, The Tower’s former editor-in-chief and current web developer, struck up a conversation with Quinn about creating a new design for The Tower’s masthead. Panico had just redesigned The Tower’s website, but had no software beyond MS Paint to create a new logo.
The struggle is real. This original masthead was created using MS Paint.
Quinn and his team from the Graphic Organization — known simply as GO! — got to work immediately. Quinn came to The Tower’s office last September to learn more about the student newspaper’s history and significance on campus before setting out on a new design.
“We talked about how The Tower isn’t an old school newspaper,” said Quinn, a graphic design major. “They’re modern and rebellious. So it had to feel like it’s a newspaper logo, but something new and different. So we went for a very modern style.”
One of Panico’s concerns was that students didn’t understand why The Tower adopted such a name. The clock tower, located outside the Miron Student Center, has served as an iconic symbol on campus. It has overlooked student protests, campus activities or those simply chatting with friends in between classes. Just as the clock tower watches over the campus, so too does this student newspaper.
About 10 members of GO! worked on the new masthead. By the end of September, Quinn sent The Tower four different designs. The Tower’s staff — which is constantly concerned with deadlines, homework and off-campus jobs — finally decided on a design this past month. (Sorry about that, GO!)
The students at GO! created the design using Adobe Illustrator, Quinn said. Check out the additional designs below and let us know if we chose the best one in the comments section.
“We played around with a more literal version of The Tower and some abstract,” Quinn added. “Seeing how much detail we could remove without losing the identity, and then that left us with what we landed on: something that’s immediately recognizable, but isn’t full of too much stuff and cuts straight to whats recognizable about The Tower.”
The Tower’s new masthead is slated to appear in the print edition starting next month and is already up on our website. It will also be in our new, monthly email newsletter.
The Graphic Organization offers its services to all clubs and organizations on campus, according to its Cougar Link page. GO! meets Monday and Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in room 504c on the fifth floor of the Green Lane Building.
Follow The Tower on Twitter @KeanTower. Find The Tower on Facebook.
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