Correction appended.
Editor’s Note: The story has been updated to include an updated link from the university.
Homecoming week is in full swing, and one of Ohio University’s own designers created the Homecoming logo for all the festivities.
“Ohio University alumni are incredibly passionate and loyal to their alma mater. Their love for Ohio University and desire to help current students succeed are what make Homecoming so special,” Erin Essak Kopp, assistant vice president of alumni relations and executive director of the OHIO Alumni Association, said in an email.
The 2019 Homecoming logo was inspired by this year’s theme of 1804 and So Much More. The logo was designed by Ohio alumnus Kyle Lindner, who graduated with a B.A. in 2017.
Lindner works as a designer with Ohio University Advancement, Communication and Marketing, or ACM. The Ohio Alumni Association frequently collaborates with the ACM to create and design all alumni engagement materials.
“I wanted to encompass everything the university has been and is now,” Lindner said.
He added that the process behind workshopping the final logo design took approximately a month.
Every year, the Ohio Alumni Association requests that OU’s alumni submit original homecoming theme ideas. With the help of the Campus Involvement Center, a theme is voted on to tie up each homecoming celebration.
The homecoming theme this year, 1804 and So Much More, was submitted by Ohio alumnus, Clinton Amand. Amand graduated with a B.S. in 2012 and an M.A. in 2018.
The theme will be represented at all the Homecoming events throughout the week, culminating in the celebratory Homecoming parade and football game. Both events will take place on Saturday.
Amand said he wanted to find a way to blend the history of OU with other elements when coming up with the Homecoming theme.
“I was brainstorming ideas and I wanted to incorporate the history of the university, but I knew there was more to the university than just the history, like our families and our friends,” Amand said.
The Homecoming theme was the main inspiration behind the elements in the logo design. Lindner decided to include Cutler Hall in the design because it was one of the first buildings to be built on campus, erected in 1819.
“I included … some rolling hills and references to the green and trees in the area,” Lindner said. “I have the Hocking river coming in at the bottom to make the logo more active.”
Joanna Gallagher, a sophomore studying plant biology, likes how the logo incorporates features from different parts of OU’s campus.
“I like how they kept the buildings from the original logo in the new one,” Gallagher said. “And I really like the (Hocking) river because the creek and Richland avenue bridge are still a big part of campus.”
Much like how the logo draws from features all around campus, the theme is meant to connect with people who have various connections to the university.
“Whether you are an Ohio University graduate, a student, an employee or a friend, this year’s Homecoming theme serves as a reminder that you are a part of this community’s storied past, its present and its future,” Kopp said in an email.
This year, the Ohio Alumni Association is also sponsoring the Homecoming 2019 Instagram Contest. This year’s prize is a two-night stay at the Ohio University Inn during Homecoming 2020.
“Homecoming is a time for each of us to celebrate the legacy of excellence and camaraderie that defines what it means to be a Bobcat,” Kopp said in an email.
Gallagher thinks that homecoming is a unique moment in Athens for everyone involved.
“I think that homecoming is special because all the alumni come back to Athens at that time and there’s a big celebration for everybody,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher said she will be attending the parade on Saturday to support the Bobcats and be a part of the Homecoming celebration.
Correction: A previous version of this report incorrectly stated the wrong prize. The article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
