Clark State College alumna chosen to redesign school mascot

Clark State College graduate Kate Blackburn has been selected to design the new mascot for her alma mater. 

Blackburn began her journey at Clark State in 2012, where she attended her first classes as a Tecumseh High School student utilizing the College Credit Plus courses. She went on to earn her Associate of Arts degree in Graphic Design.

She would then go on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Columbus’ Franklin University in 2015 before being hired into her first full time job as a graphic designer shortly after her graduation. Currently, Blackburn is working at Orange Barrel Media as a Senior Graphic Designer. She has also taken the lead on the important task of redesigning Clark State College’s mascot, Emmett the Eagle. 

The new redesign of the school’s logo comes after last year’s naming contest for the school’s eagle mascot plush, which was where Emmett received his name. The new mascot design will go along with the existing Clark State Athletic Eagle logo, and will contain both a full body and an eagle head design. The new design will be used on social media, bookstore retail items, and more.

In an article posted on the school’s website, Blackburn was quoted on her new task, saying, “As a student, I had performed with Clark State's Theatre Arts program for a few seasons and I ended up doing some design work for them - show posters, programs, etc. It's still early in the process, but the goal is to design a new version of Emmett the Eagle that will work alongside his existing design.”

She also talked about her experience at Clark State as a “smart move.” She talked about the wealth of information she gained there about the fundamentals of design, as well as the industry. She noted that she still uses what she learned at Clark State over a decade later, and has passed that information along to the junior designers she has mentored.

“You'll learn just as much as someone paying a fortune elsewhere, and you'll be just as hireable as they are. But you'll have learned so much more by learning alongside people of all different backgrounds, all at different stages in their lives, all there for different reasons,” she said.

The graphic design program at Clark State College is a two-year computer-based learning program that focuses on industry standard practices. The program is dedicated to being current with technological advances that affect the visual arts, integrating fine art sensibilities with cutting edge technology. There is also an Academic Preparation section available for students who have little experience with computers. 

Graphic design students use the program to learn how to develop many visual communication solutions for clients such as posters, book covers, editorial graphics, catalogs, brand development, brochures, product packaging, and newspaper, billboard, and magazine advertising. 

The graphic design program courses are held at Clark State’s main campus in Springfield, Ohio.

More information about Clark State College can be found at the school’s website.