Photo courtesy of Marburn Academy
To go along with the brand-new gym in its brand-new school, Marburn Academy wanted a brand-new spirit logo to put in the center of the hardwood floor.
But the New Albany private school – a research-based institution utilizing educational best practices for students with dyslexia, ADHD and executive function issues – didn’t hire a private design firm to create the logo. Administrators instead decided to hire from within.
Enter Marburn senior Connor McGovern of Westerville.
The school, previously located in north Columbus, opened in New Albany in January, and one of the highlights is the huge Marburn athletic team logo McGovern designed. The graphic design-inclined McGovern, son of Mike and Diana McGovern, says his inspiration started with the old Marburn “M” logo on a spirit wear jacket.
McGovern incorporated panther eyes to feature the school’s mascot, recolored it and shared variations with other students to get feedback. Once a favorite emerged, he made small adjustments to ensure the logo was fully functional before finally vectoring it for use by the school.
“Seeing my logo on the gym floor is extremely cool,” says McGovern. “I like to look at it and think about how, with just one different stroke of my hand, the lines or curves in the design could be completely different. I also appreciate that Marburn allowed me to make this for them and to be taken seriously as an artist, and not just a kid drawing on a laptop.”
Photo courtesy of Marburn Academy
Photo courtesy of Marburn Academy
Concept designs of McGovern's logo
Involving students in the school’s relocation transition is a shining example of how Marburn is cultivating opportunities for students who learn differently, McGovern says.
“Without Marburn, I most likely wouldn’t have discovered my passion for filmmaking,” says McGovern.
McGovern began attending Marburn after sixth grade. The environment of the school allowed him to open up, improve his schoolwork and make new friends, he says.
In fact, McGovern now splits his days between Marburn and the Delaware Area Career Center to study film production, and remains active in many aspects of Marburn outside academics, including Ultimate Frisbee and National Honor Society.
Right now, logo and graphic design is mainly something McGovern does for fun, but he is certainly eager to learn more about filmmaking, more specifically post-production editing.
“My hope is to get accepted to Colorado Film School and to follow my passion for film through there,” says McGovern.
Looking back on his experience, Connor says, Marburn changed his entire life. He will be graduating in the spring, but his athletic logo will remain on the gym floor as inspiration for other students to follow their passions.
Sarah Davis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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