Creating a Logo
Magdalyn Jackson, a senior here at Suffolk University, and a leading member of the digital marketing team for Suffolk in the Hub, was tasked with creating the logo for the university’s incoming consumer neuroscience research lab: XLab. The story begins when the head of Suffolk in the Hub, Kimberley Ring, asked Maggie if she would be interested in creating this logo, and after an immediate acceptance of the job, she got to work.
Now it was time to create the logo and with little knowledge of what XLab was, she began the networking portion of the job. She met with Mujde Yuksel, an associate professor, consumer behavior researcher, and leader of the XLab startup journey. During this meeting, Yuksel explained her vision for XLab, particularly for the logo: a lightbulb to represent the generation of ideas, a human brain to connect to the purpose of the “first-of-its-kind marketing lab,” and finally a splatter to implicate the abundance of ideas through the many different colors.
After the meeting, Maggie opened up Canva and began designing, and designing, and designing. Following a few trial runs, and the production of numerous logos, Jackson ran into her first roadblock: Suffolk University brand guidelines. Because XLab is affiliated with the school, the logo must incorporate a specific color pallet and had to have “Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University” within the logo itself.
Once brand guidelines were met, Magdalyn Jackson began the final stage of the logo creation draft process. Through going back and forth with various faculty members and making small adjustments to her many designs, Maggie’s draft logos were complete. From there she transferred her work from Canva over to photoshop and began the small adjustments that would make the logo pleasing to the eye as well as perfecting the in-depth measurements that would make the emblem stand out. This step was also imperative for different types of formatting such as being on paper, on a phone, or computer as specific changes would allow it to project itself successfully. Jackson claims that although this would be the most creative step in the logo-making process, it was also the most challenging. She posed many questions such as “Should the lightbulb be on the left or the right? Should ‘Suffolk University’ be on the bottom or the top?”
Jackson explains that there is a lot more to creating a logo than simply having a creative idea. Through the design process, she learned lines and corners of images must match the lines and corners of the font. To figure out how to know if objects and fonts match, Maggie claims that you must zoom in on the maximum percentage to truly find out what does and doesn’t go together. Maggie goes on to explain the importance of matching curvature within the lettering and objects involved, and that these factors, the unknown components that come with logo creation, are the toughest part.
After diligent work, the construction of numerous designs, and countless modifications, Maggie’s work was complete. The logo was quickly approved by the school following a few prototypes and the launch was ready to go. When asked how she felt when her work was finally finished, Jackson reflected on a particular night working alongside Kim Ring when they sat down together and put everything aside to finish the logo. Through perseverance, tweaks, and critiques, the design was complete and the two were finally able to sit back with a sigh of relief.
Two weeks later Miss Magdalyn Jackson would present Xlab’s new logo at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Her excitement came from where and how her work would be used for the future of Suffolk University’s incoming neuroscience lab and the anticipation of what the group will achieve. Her greatest takeaway from this experience was “never go with your first idea.” Though it was not her first logo, it was one she was most proud of. Jackson’s outstanding visual production will forever and ever be the face of XLab.
We at Suffolk in the Hub are so proud of you, Maggie Jackson, and we are deeply excited to see what achievements are yet to come.
