people------------------------------------------ After meeting for several weeks during the fall semester, a 12-member committee collaborated a new look for the university. Liz Howell, director of alumni relations, said the committee wanted a simple, yet high– tech logo. "We wanted people to think 'Wow, thafs a great logo: when they saw it," she said. "It had been 30 years since a change. It was time." To begin, Dustin Vyers, assistant to the director of student life, was selected to design the new look. He sketched the bison in the student center and then went to work on his computer, using Adobe illustrator10 to design the new look. Vyers said he learned how to handle constructive criticism through this project. "The committee knew they wanted something that could stand up against other school's as far as mascots are concerned/' Vyers said. "I would take what I had done to the committee and they would critique it. They changed what they didn't like. "It sort of hardened my skin. [ stood there while they talked about it. I'm tougher now as far as people critiquing my work." Men's basketball coach Jeff Morgan also served on the committee. "It was a lot of fun tobe involved with it. Dustin just did an awesome job," he said. "When it was finished, we wanted it to wow you. We wanted it to have that wow effect. Finally,. we walked out of there going, 'Wow. this is it.'" Howell said the committee, which included coaches, faculty members, staff, sports infonnation staff and students, looked at bison logos from several universities around the country. "We wanted to develop the Harding brand," Howell said. "When you saw that logo, you knew it was Harding's logo." When it came time to reveal the new logo to the Harding community in chapel Oct. 16, Howell said she was excited and nervous. However, Howell said she wasn't worried about the student body not liking the new logo because of the student involvement in the design process. "Everybody on the committee loves Harding and wants the best Ifor Harding]. It was just a great day for us," Howell said. Along with the new logo, the new mascot, Buff the Bison, was introduced to the student body during the Oct. 16 chapel presentation. BY~WwINKLE With the new logo in hand, junior Dan Phillips looks at a newly-designed Harding T-shirt. The Bison logo was updated this year to give the school a simple, high-tech look, Liz Howell, director of alumni, said. (Photo by Renee Lewis) "Everbody on the committee loves Harding and wants the best [for Har– ding]_" -- Liz Howell, director of alumni relations sophomores II 89
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