Writing and graphic by Anna Porter.
It all started one night when the SCAD District editors were organizing the closet before the end of Winter Quarter. I, along with a few other editors, found a set of past District newspaper issues bound into yearbook-style archives. Each book was published in years of District, spanning from 1998 to 2007. As time went on, the newspaper eventually phased out and turned into what is now scaddistrict.com. While paging through the archives of SCAD events come and gone and editors we’d never know in person, we found that we wished there was a way to remind people of District’s roots.
As the new creative director at District and a graphic design major, my eye was immediately drawn to the old District logo in these archives. In typical publication fashion, the look of the wordmark often changes throughout different columns and front pages to make each issue unique, but the standard logo could also be found as a constant in the upper corner of each page.
Something drew me to this wordmark– it felt retro– a nod to the early 2000’s, but still clean and timeless. Because of its versatility, I knew it was something we could incorporate into District’s current branding. This old wordmark is also significant to the current era, as it was used during the birth years of SCAD’s current student body.
Over the past few months, we have been working on this retro rebrand, and it’s finally time for it to launch! While District’s core visual identity is staying the same, this new (or old?) logo system will replace the diamond-shaped bee seal. The bee seal, in turn, will become a part of a symbol set that can be used across the District’s brand identity. Notice the new star symbol across the branding– derived from the retro wordmark; the star will be District’s primary symbol, representing the creativity of SCAD students and the way they stand out in their industries.
Stay tuned for an upcoming newsletter that is in the works! The newsletter is a nod to District’s original physical newspaper, and it will be a way to remind SCAD students of local events and District articles each month. Additionally, we will include a scanned image from the District archives each month in a throwback section! Stay connected with us on Instagram to hear about the newsletter signup when it launches.
To close out, enjoy reading this segment from a short article that inspired this one– it’s about the creation of scaddistrict.com by past Art Director Adrian Repasch!
Note: The archives are tightly bound, making the inside margin not readable.
A full-time Graphic Design major/ Advertising & Branding minor and part-time music enthusiast, Anna Porter brings her love of art and design to SCAD District as the Creative Director. Anna leads the creative team in all things visual, from website design to publication design. Her writings can be found in the “Audio File,” District’s weekly music review column where Anna provides music updates and recommendations. If Anna is not designing or listening to music (rare,) you will probably find her in the other room making a cup of tea.
