In December 2009, the California Art Club will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. The Centennial Celebration begins this year and will continue through 2011 when the 100th Annual Gold Medal will be held. We are planning a whole host of interesting programs during this time and are seeking your help in creating a logo to capture the excitement! As such, we are asking all CAC members to consider participating in the Centennial Logo Competition to help the California Art Club come up with a great 100-year logo design that best captures the essence of the California Art Club.

Usage: The CAC Centennial logo and tagline are intended for use on our web site and various CAC printed materials, including letterhead, business cards, brochures, fliers, and Newsletter. Also, we plan to merchandise special California Art Club Centennial products with our “new look” to help raise funds for the Club.

Deadline: March 31, 2009

Submission:  Please email your entries (up to three, each in a separate email) in high resolution JPG format, 300 DPI resolution, and no larger than 2 MB per file, to cac@californiaartclub.org. Subject line should read: “Centennial Logo Submission.” Please be sure to include your name and current phone number in your email message.

NOTE: The winner will be provided with specifics for reproduction mechanics and will be required to sign a release form permitting the winning design to become the property of the California Art Club.

Jury: The CAC Board of Directors will decide on the final selection.

Award: The winner will receive $1,000 plus a selection of California Art Club merchandise, to be announced.

Notification: May 1, 2009

Guidelines: Listed below are CAC’s current elements you may find helpful in creating your successful design, if you choose to use them. Also, for more inspiration, please refer to our web site at www.californiaartclub.org.

Current colors: Pantone 229, Pantone Warm Gray 11
Current fonts: Mona Lisa Recut, Sabon
Current “tile” image: Adobe Monotype Ornament 1 – uppercase “Y”

For descriptive information about logos, please refer to the “Guidelines on Creating Successful Logos” below.

Five Essential Logo Design Principles:
1. Long Lasting Style
A successful logo remains in the minds of people. Logos should be designed in such a way that they hold the organization’s image forever. It is after constant display that the logo gets registered in the minds of people. Hence a design has to be chosen that will never become outdated.

2. Distinctiveness
Distinct logos are mostly successful. A glance at the most famous logos shows that they are similar in one way…Distinctiveness. Do not go overboard on the design. A successful logo must be clear and easy to understand, otherwise, it is useless.

3. Appealing to consumers
The logo must appeal to the general public. It should be properly tested before being launched. You might try to run your own “market research” to see how people respond to you logo design.

4. Conveys the right image
A successful logo represents the image that the organization is trying to portray. Is the organization established or offbeat?

5. Legibility
No matter what you do, if people don’t understand your logo design, then it will be ineffective. Whom are you trying to target? Where is the logo going to be displayed? Does your logo design put out the same communication no matter where it is displayed?

Additional essentials to keep in mind:
1. First Impressions Last
In distributing business cards the one thing that dominates the card is the logo. Since the first impression matters a lot, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed.
          – Be original.
          – Don’t be overly-innovative, business cards must be serviceable.
          – Choose a design that has global appeal.

2. Branding
A brand is a valuable asset and marketing tool for success. It is derived from who we are, who we want to be, and who people perceive us to be. The foundation of a brand is designed within the logo as a form of simple, mass communication.

3. The Simpler, The Better
Simple, straight and intelligent. Such should be the approach of the logo. Most successful logos are simple and straight.

4. Brand Name Equals Image
People identify the brand name of an organization only if the logo is successful in delivering the exact message of the organization. Hence the logo should carry the proper message in order to build and maintain the brand image.

5. Be Consistent
As years pass, an organization develops a reputation. Upon hearing the name of the organization, people should react immediately – and in a positive way.