Monmouth College

« Back to Recent News

Monmouth College's Ambrosch designs new logo for Warren County Public Library

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (07/29/2020) — One of the City of Monmouth's oldest organizations has a brand new logo, thanks to the efforts of a Monmouth College student.

Mamie Ambrosch '21 of Metamora, Ill., designed a logo for the Warren County Public Library through a class taught by Monmouth art professor Stephanie Baugh. Baugh passed along the assignment after hearing about the library's need from one of her faculty colleagues, Michelle Simmons, who is one of a half-dozen people with College ties who serve on the library's board.

"I had talked to our board about the possibility of updating our logo," said library director Larisa Good. "We are in the process of revamping our website, and as I looked at sample pages, our logo felt dated. I started looking for possible designers, and then the stay-at-home order occurred. Michelle forwarded Stephanie's email looking for volunteers to act as clients in a logo project. I jumped at the opportunity to do something library-related, while sheltering at home."

When Baugh showed the list of volunteer clients to her "Typography and Logo" class, Ambrosch was immediately drawn to the library.

"I saw the library on the list, and that clicked with me," said Ambrosch, a biochemistry major who took Baugh's class to fulfill the College's "beauty and meaning" requirement. "I've always read a ton of books, and I'd been to the library in Monmouth several times. I connected with Larisa and worked out the colors she wanted, and she also told me she wanted an arch to be featured because of the arch at their building (on the southwest quadrant of Monmouth's Public Square)."

Good said: "Ultimately, I was looking for something updated but also classic. I really wanted a logo that would stand the test of time and visually communicate the purpose of the public library."

Ambrosch connected with Good in early April, then got to work creating possibilities.

"I came up with five or six designs in Adobe Illustrator," said Ambrosch. "We had it finalized by April 21, so it was about a two-week project."

The Warren County Public Library opened in 1868 as the Monmouth Reading Room and Library, and the arch has been a big part of its identity.

"Mamie did a wonderful job," said Good. "Her logo encompasses the essence of our library, which is books, and honors our previous logos by including the arched entrance to our door. The arch has been included in all our past logos, to the best of my knowledge. I especially love the color scheme, which makes me think of our wooden shelves."

Good said the new logo will be featured on the library's new website and eventually on stationery and business cards.

Media Attachments

Copyright © 2024 Merit Pages, Inc. • All Rights Reserved. • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Opt Out