 Ever
since we started APTRA Academy in 2000, Nancy LeMay and
her husband Harry have been among those who, we might
say, form it's backbone! They are two very dedicated people
who are appreciated very much and who give of their time
and energy every year to help aspiring broadcasters. For
each of the last three years Nancy, a terrific television
graphics designer, has graciously created new logos for
APTRA academy. This year, she's done it again and, as
she has each year, she's topped herself! So, now we'd
like to unveil the new logo for APTRA
Academy 2003. Nancy, thank you!
 APTRA
Academy 2003
The New Logo
A symbol of action
 Logotype
design is to graphic design what marathoning is to running;
an extreme level of challenge that addresses the basics
of the sport. I've gotten to design APTRA Academy's
logo throughout the years the program's been done. This
is Year Four of the Academy, which is a unique program
that gets aspiring journalists together with experienced
ones for a weekend's worth of real-time news anchoring,
writing, reporting and editing.
The APTRA Academy logo needs to do what all good logos
do, which is to successfully marry word and symbol into
an instantly recognizable, 'oh I get it' whole. This
sounds pretty simple, but often isn't. It's a reductive
process: there's a connective thread running through
words and symbols, and the logo hangs on that connective
thread. This year what I wanted to express is the action
and the energy of 'broadcasting.' I leaned immediately
on one of my favorite graphic devices: concentric circles,
the symbol of energy radiating from one spot to many
others. Here, my concentric circles also look like a
'woofer,' and that's cool, too. The type shoots through
the inside of the broadcasting circles and is transformed
(into another font and another piece of information)
as it zips out into the air.
This was a great way to express what actually happens
through the course of the APTRA Academy 'broadcasting
bootcamp.' An amazing collection of people and resources
come together for one weekend in October; professionals
from news organizations all over California and Nevada
recreate the workings of a newsroom. A story is staged
(the only time that staging news is a good thing) and
the Academy students report it under real-world constraints
and deadlines. They finish the two days with a tape,
complete with graphics, that shows what they've done.
The challenge is real, the deadlines are real, and the
results are amazing.
You'll find information on registering for APTRA Academy
elsewhere on this website and at www.aptra.org. I will
be there - for the fourth time - and I encourage you
to join us for this really unique learning experience.
|
