HWS News
13 September 2019 Nguyen '21 Designs Logo
Media and society major Linh Nguyen '21 created the water drop logo for the Year of Water that is being used to promote the initiatives interdisciplinary programming throughout the 2019-2020 academic year.
"I've always had a concern for environmental issues," says Nguyen, of Hanoi, Vietnam where she says education on the environment and sustainability is regularly incorporated into the curriculum. "This early education drew me to the Year of Water project."
As a student in Script to Screen with Associate Professor of Africana Studies Marilyn Jimenez, Nguyen and her peers were tasked with developing a logo for the Year of Water. Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Beth Kinne, organizer of the initiative, visited Jimenez's class to introduce the project. In her presentation, she outlined the many collaborations that were beginning to take shape for the upcoming year, including: water-inspired plays by directors of HWS Theatre, a Davis Gallery exhibit, a thematic year for the Fisher Center for the Study of Gender and Justice titled The Drowned World, and other programs. Jimenez encouraged students to consider Kinne as their client and to organize their design principles around the initiatives mission.
Nguyen learned how to animate the logo thanks to her coursework in Cinematic Effects, also with Jimenez.
"I took away from my conversations with Professor Kinne that water is everywhere," says Nguyen, who was struck by how policy makers, environmentalists, designers, urban planners, anthropologists, scientists and others would have the opportunity to join the conversation.
Nguyen conceived of creating the logo in the shape of a water drop and later its animated design. "A water drop is one of the smallest forms of water," she notes, "and the various shades of blue used represent the many forms in which water exists."
She says, the simplicity of the design speaks to the inclusiveness of the project. "The initiative is focused on spreading awareness and encouraging people to take action, even if it is simple," she says.
The Year of Water is a campus wide celebration of the Finger Lakes Institute's 15th anniversary.