The Tyler Hotel & Motel Association presented the Digital Imaging I students of Tyler Junior College with the opportunity to redesign the logo of the association. The logo will be the first thing that talk about the association when people go to this website. Along with the use of its design, the winner will receive $500 and a prize package with items donated by THMA.
“The students had about a week to complete their design,” Professor of Graphic Arts and Photography Rebecca Stewart said.
The six finalists, out of 24 students, are Bryana Alvidrez, Krista Burns, Aaron Cheek, Gary L. Evans, Joanna Hoddav and Joshua Mumphrey. The winner will be announced in November.
“The company is really into the community and wanted the community college to make the designs,” Stewart said. “They gave the students a few guidelines to help them. The company did not want the students to focus too much on the rose. They wanted a logo that would represent tourist amusements, attractions and accommodations along with the use of the acronym.”
Alvidrez was surprised to find out she made the top six.
“My design consists of grey buildings outlined in green,” she said. “The company said they wanted something modern to take them into the future.”
Hoddav said she wanted to make a more dynamic logo. Her design consists of the word Tyler with the figure of a person representing the ‘Y.’
“I wanted something with movement and that represents Tyler, having fun and feeling good,” she said.
Evans, whose design consisted of the THMA acronym along with a Texas flag, said his inspiration came from what has happened in and around Tyler.
“I have a golf course and a deer for hunting in my design,” he said. “I placed the deer behind the logo because deer are shy and sometimes you may see a deer on the course.”
Cheek, who submitted two entries, said his original design consisted of a golf course and hotel.
“I was surprised that they picked the one that they did,” he said. “In my second design, I incorporated more of the hotel than Tyler and made it feel like home.”
Cheek said his use of color was for both design and business purposes.
“We had a choice of using two colors or three,” he said. “I chose two that would compliment each other and so that it would be cheaper for them to print.”
Cheek said he has been doing graphic design for three years.
“I started in traditional art like drawing,” he said. “I am also into photography and I want to do logos and logo type.”
Burns said she did both a traditional and modern design.
“I decided on the colors red and yellow because of the rose,” she said. “The arch is traditional but it still looked modern.”
Burns said she is into portrait photography. According to her Web site, http://www.alabasterphoto.com Burns started pursuing a career in photography about a year ago.
“My family is full of people who love to create, so growing up I was surrounded in artistic influence,” she said. “Since I’ve started pursuing photography, I’ve been privileged to work with some amazing people. I feel so blessed to be doing what I am doing.”
Stewart said that although the association gave the students guidelines, some things they asked for were not in some of the designs.
“All of the final picks are so different,” she said. “They wanted the students to sell Tyler and the things that people do.”
Stewart said she is proud of her students and tells them that what she learned as a student is what got her here.
“I learned everything I needed to know while getting my associates here and not while working on my bachelor’s and master’s,” she said. “I tell them that you are not going to get rich doing graphic design, so do it because you enjoy it.”
