Put your design skills to the test in Chicago Studies' Chicago Neighborhood Logo Contest! The Chicago Neighborhood Project was created by local artist Steve Shanabruch in 2011 with the goal of creating a logo for all 200+ Chicago neighborhoods. The logos he created (about 115 in all) represented Shanabruch's personal experiences, research into each neighborhood's history and culture, and stories shared with him by local residents. (Wonder why he did it? Join us for a conversation/virtual workshop with Steve during week 1 of Winter Quarter -- details and registration below.)
Now it's your turn! Chicago Studies, in collaboration with Shanabruch, invites you to design your own Chicago neighborhood logo! Submissions to the contest with be shared on Instagram (@chicagostudies) and two winners will be selected, one by our panel of judges (including Shanabruch) and the other in a "people's choice" social media showdown. You can choose any neighborhood you wish (here's a map that the city put together in the mid-1990s, but you can also choose historic Chicago neighborhoods, even if they are no longer commonly used). Choose wisely: duplicate neighborhoods will have to compete with one another, with only the best entry from each neighborhood entering the competition's final round (just in case you were all thinking of doing logos for Hyde Park). Look below for still more contest details, and get drawing!
You can submit your logo here, submissions will be accepted until February 18th at 11:59PM.
- University of Chicago email address is required to enter (student, staff, faculty submissions are all welcome)
- You may submit as many entries as you wish
- Artists must be following @chicagostudies on instagram for contest updates (and to vote up your own entries)
- Submissions will be accepted through this form from midnight on Monday, January 10 (week 1) through 11:59 PM on Friday, January 28 (week 3)
- You may design your logo using the medium/a of your choice, but all submissions must be made digitally in either PDF or a common raster/vector image format
- Your logos should be designed to fit on a letter-sized piece of paper (8.5" x 11" -- landscape or portrait orientation is acceptable)
- All logos will be made public via Chicago Studies' Instagram for judging
- In case of duplicate entries (e.g., multiple submissions representing the same neighborhood), a preliminary "neighborhood bracket" will be formed, with the winners selected by social media acclaim. Only one entry per neighborhood will be included in the final round
- Submissions must include a short (under 250-word) rationale explaining your artistic choices
- TWO overall contest winners will be awarded: a "people's choice" winner (chosen by social media smackdown) and a judges' choice winner. (Special thanks to Steve Shanabruch for agreeing to help judge the submissions)
- Each winner will receive a Steve Shanabruch Chicago Neighborhood print of their choosing...plus incredible bragging rights!
The winners of this contest will be awarded one of Steve's WPA-inspired Chicago Neighborhood Prints (you pick the neighborhood...which need not be one of the ones for which you submitted a logo).
Need inspiration? Not sure where to start? Join us for a virtual workshop with The Chicago Neighborhood Project creator Steve Shanabruch, who will explain his process and choices in representing our city's diverse neighborhoods! Registration is now open.