Teens create new logos for Ontario’s 150th birthday
Assigned to create something better than the one the government is using - one that has been panned by critics

thestar.com
By Kristin Rushowy
Jan. 27, 2017

If the provincial government is looking to improve its 150th anniversary logo, some eastern Ontario students would like to draw its attention to their work.

Assigned by their teacher to come up with a better symbol after critics panned the one the government commissioned, teens in a photography class at Quinte Secondary School “had a blast” thinking up new ones, said teacher Pete Hercus.

“I always give them a practical activity on exam day - a problem to solve,” he said in a telephone interview from the Belleville school. “It demonstrates that they can solve a problem, use Photoshop,” while working to a deadline.

After reading how experts feel the logo is confusing and “not balanced,” Hercus said his Grade 11-12 class brainstormed for a few minutes, and then worked on their creations for one to two hours.

The original had student raising their eyebrows, trying to figure it out. “What a terrible effort,” said Hercus. “It looks like the late 1970s to early ’80s graphics.”

The teens’ collages include a lot of traditional symbols - the maple leaf, the Ontario trillium - and the assignment was worth 5 per cent of their course mark.

The Ontario 150 logo cost the government $30,000 including the design, licensing and trademark.

“Should the Ontario government want to change direction and utilize one of these concepts, we will charge just $5,000 negotiable!” Hercus joked in an email to the Star.

“We would suggest $2,000 go to the student designer and the other $3,000 we would add to our arts department budget to purchase new equipment for our students.”

He did suggest that asking for public submissions “would be a better way to go in the future. I am sure the end result would be stronger than that logo displayed in your article. And also a hell of a lot cheaper!”

A spokesperson for Tourism Minister Eleanor McMahon said, “We always encourage young people to come forward with ideas that reflect their vision of Ontario and are excited to see students engaging and participating in Ontario150.

“In the year ahead we will support a number of key initiatives that honour our past, showcase our present and inspire future generations.”