New logos for the Greensburg Farmers Market were designed by three Seton Hill University (SHU) students. One of the three designs will be chosen to represent the business when it reopens in 2015.
Graphic design students Alicia Babines, Daniel Grushecky and Michael Nucci each created three logos for the market, as an assignment for their Graphic Design III class. They presented one logo each, along with an alternative version, to Greenburg’s Historic and Architectural Review Board. The project was commissioned by Steve Gifford, leader of the Architectural Board of Greensburg.
“The farmers market as an organization has a limited budget, hiring a professional graphic design firm to design their logo could cost thousands of dollars, so this was an opportunity for them to receive several creative designs that wouldn’t cost them anything,” said Gifford.
“It’s a win-win for everybody; The farmers have three great designs to pick from, and the students have the opportunity to present their designs in a corporate setting,” said Gifford.
Gifford has collaborated with SHU associate professor of art and graphic design Sister Mary Kay Neff on previous projects as well. Their collaborative projects introduce SHU students to Greensburg business owners looking for assistance with designing business signs or logos.
“My design process like much others starts with researching the topic/project and finding inspiration from other similar things to draw upon,” said Nucci.
“We tossed around ideas, and I came to the conclusion that the most successful designs for Farmer’s Market logos, as seen by researching online, were always traditional with a slight modern twist,” said Babines.
“I learned from this experience how to actually present designs to real clients. Up until this point, critiques were all done by other artists. We actually had to present this to the Architectural Board in a formal setting. It was pretty nerve-wracking! I feel that this was a very valuable thing to do though. The board were friendly and asked questions that weren’t unanswerable,” said Babines.
“I gained valuable experience working with clients such as Steven Gifford and Dr. David Droppa at Seton Hill,” said Nucci.
The logo project was sponsored by the Greensburg Community Development Corp.
The farmers market temporarily relocated to a site off Donohoe Road in Hempfield while the Westmoreland Museum of American Art undergoes construction. Once the construction work at the museum is completed, the market plans to return to its previous location at 221 N. Main St.