UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Homecoming revealed its 2020 logo on April 24 during the online Legacy Celebration. The annual logo was selected to reflect Penn State Homecoming’s 2020 theme “Envisioning Nittany Horizons,” which was announced this past February.
The logo, which embodies the spirit of Penn State Homecoming, was designed by Ron Feinberg, a junior graphic design major in the Penn State Stuckeman School which is part of the College of Arts and Architecture.
Feinberg continues the legacy that his siblings left on the Penn State Homecoming community. His sister, Dena Feinberg, was the parade director for the 2013 Penn State Homecoming. Feinberg is continuing the tradition of involvement in Penn State Homecoming and serves as a captain on the merchandise committee.
Feinberg said that while he would’ve been just as happy with his captain position alone, “knowing I'm going to be designing some of the merchandise with my own logo is pretty sweet to think about!”
When asked about his design process, Feinberg said he started with research on past Penn State Homecoming logos and said he, “noticed a frequent use of iconic Penn State imagery meshed within imagery that best represents the annual theme. To keep the concept of the annual logos cohesive, I followed this idea while making sure to keep the theme imagery and illustration style fresh and eye-catching.”
The logo depicts a combination of a lighthouse and Old Main.
“Combining a lighthouse with the iconic imagery of Old Main with a sleek illustration styling evokes the feeling that Penn State is the one guiding us forward into the future,” Feinberg said.
Feinberg’s logo was one of 18 created by instructor Taylor Shipton’s graphic design class for junior year students. Each year, students from this course design prospective Homecoming logos for one of their major projects. Once completed, the designs are randomly numbered to preserve anonymity. The designs are then presented to the Homecoming Executive Committee who consider each logo and description provided by the designers. The designs are then narrowed down to four and then voted upon by the Homecoming Executive Committee.
Shipton says “Graphic design looks forward to this collaboration every year, as the students are always excited to work with the Homecoming team. Ron, in particular, stood out as a student determined to create a logo that represented this year’s Homecoming theme. Ron expressed early on how Penn State Homecoming meant a lot to him and his family. He took that passion and let it drive him into this year’s logo.”
This year’s logo will be displayed on all things Homecoming ranging from merchandise to parade floats. Homecoming merchandise featuring the new logo will be on sale during the fall semester. Penn State Homecoming is planning to pick up events, volunteer hours and fundraisers in the fall semester to rally in Homecoming week taking place Oct. 10–18.
Penn State Homecoming is a student-run organization with aims to celebrate tradition and instill pride in all members of the Penn State family through active engagement of students, alumni, faculty and staff across the community. The organization is comprised of many student volunteers who donate their time to creating a multitude of events that make the Homecoming celebration a yearlong event.