The Kenyon Collegian Logo

To mark the 160th anniversary of the Kenyon Collegian in 2016, then editor-in-chief Henry Gendreau approached me to redesign the newspaper’s logo. At the time, the Colegian’s logo was servicable, but not distinct. With a name that could potentially belong to any college newspaper, the Collegian needed a mark that emphasized its history, its quality, and its Kenyon-ness.

In the new logo, I exchanged the old slab serif for American Text, a 20th-century blackletter designed by Morris Fuller Benton. The typeface’s sharp triangular forms evoke the architecture of some of Kenyon’s longest-standing and most iconic buildings, like Ascension Hall.

I reinforced the visual connection between the logo and the Kenyon campus with a custom icon of the Peirce Hall tower. Drawn in the same style as the logo’s letterforms, the icon connects the Collegian to Peirce, the heart of campus and the location of the newspaper’s historic third-floor office.

A variety of secondary logos and arrangements allow the Collegian to use the logo in a wide range of print and digital applications. I also developed a simplified version of the icon for use at small sizes.

Now in its third year, the Collegian logo continues to represent the newspaper in print, on social media, and elsewhere on the web.