Schools Plus has pioneered numerous opportunities for engaging directly with pupils within our client schools, including employment opportunities. This tradition dates back to the company’s foundation in 2004, when GCSE art pupils at Oaks Park High School were invited to submit their ideas for the Schools Plus logo.
The Contenders
At the end of the competition over 30 designs were put forward. We received many excellent logos but the work of two pupils stuck out as the clear leaders: Jamie Parnell and Zaria Kakakhan.
The Workshop
Jamie and Zaria were given the opportunity to take part in an hour-long workshop with Duncan Cork, the company’s experienced graphic designer, in order to develop their ideas on how the final logo would look.
Zaria’s first logo had a lot of promise with use of colour being her strength. Her ideas were very strong; and her pattern work, influenced by textile and stencil designs, was very original. Duncan guided her to work on simplifying her design using pencil and inks.
Jamie’s design needed more colour and so Duncan briefed him to liven his logo up using Pantone Markers and to experiment with different orientations and arrangements. His ideas developed in line with the company’s style guide, and emerged as the strongest overall.
The Winner
The project was completed with the assistance of our graphic design agency. They scanned Jamie’s artwork and finalised his design into the company logo as presented here.