RJ MIKULSKI
RJ is a student assistant for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Student Activities Office, where he has designed posters, apparel, logos, and signs for campus offices and organizations including UAF Concert Board, Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity, POP-CON, and Nanook Traditions.
Q : Why did you enter the logo contest?
I entered the logo contest for practice most of all. Over the past couple years I have developed an enthusiasm for design in general. I constantly study branding, whether it is specific blogs or browsing the grocery store. I compare my designs to everything around me and ask myself, “Can my work hang with the Starbucks or UPS logo?”
Q : Can you tell me about the process of creating this logo?
The most important inspiration was the calendar year, 2012. Midnight is 12 o’clock, the beginning of a new day, that was my focus. The first element I wanted to incorporate was the clock, which I listed on a sheet of paper along with the sun, downtown, and the colors I wanted to start with. I knew that I wanted a simplified logo that would make a bold statement. Corporate logos have been becoming more and more reduced. This movement makes perfect sense in how the brain interprets images. The less we have to remember, the more it sticks with us. With all of these elements it was challenging to incorporate the objects cohesively, as well as subtract.
I am most pleased with the negative arrow or clock hand in ‘Midnight’ pointing towards the sun. It is semi-apparent element, which some may not catch on the first couple glimpses. I am a firm believer that logos should be strong base of design. You can reduce or maximize the size, throw it on a multi-colored background, change the perspective, and the integrity still remains.
Q : How do you think this logo represents the festival?
Obviously the logo represents the festival with the orange midnight sun and the buildings simulated in the text, but I think the font even plays a subtle role. Clean and welcoming. I wanted to illustrate that the Midnight Sun Festival is the premier event of the summer.
CLICK HERE to vote for RJ! (Or come to Chartreuse on First Friday to cast your vote).