• US$400

• 14 designs

• 8 designers

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Logo Design Brief

Background Information
Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE http://www.acoe.org/acoe/) is a County Office of Education located in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, US. ACOE serves 18 school districts in Alameda County. The students we serve at district schools are primarily Kindergarten – 12th Grade.

We are starting a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) project at ACOE. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education movement began a few years ago. It has now evolved into STEAM education as educators realize the benefits and importance of including Arts education to support student engagement and success. A description of STEM and STEAM education from Amy Puffenberger at NAMAC (National Alliance for Media Art + Culture) follows:)
( http://www.namac.org/node/24925 ):

What is STEM education?
STEM education refers to the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It is an educational initiative that is supported at both the national and state levels, from governments to foundations and scholars alike.

Why STEM?
Many assessments of K-12 students over the last several years have indicated that the United States is falling significantly behind other countries when it comes to student performance, and interest in, STEM subject areas. The argument for STEM education is that if the United States continues to lag behind other countries in educating its students in what are deemed necessary 21st century workforce skills in science, technology and most importantly innovation, then the consequences for the economic and political power of the United States may be dire.

Who supports STEM?
It would seem that nearly everyone in the United States supports the STEM movement. Most recently, President Obama launched the Educate to Innovate initiative (http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/educate-innovate) to support STEM education in K-12 schools. This initiative also includes partnerships and collaborations with for-profit companies, non-profit organizations, foundations and schools. STEM education is also endorsed by a growing list of academic and science and research-based organizations throughout the country. One of the most complete lists of organizations who endorse STEM education can be found through the STEM Education Coalition’s website (http://www.stemedcoalition.org/)

What is STEAM?
One of the most important goals of STEM education is innovation, yet in many instances STEM initiatives seem to place little to no emphasis on the arts. What is innovation without the creative drive and spirit fostered only by the study and inclusion of the arts in learning? Meet the STEAM movement.

The STEAM movement is the latest “A”ddition to the STEM movement. What is the “A” in STEAM, you ask? The arts, of course! Many educators and researchers, most notably in the arts field, have begun pushing for more STEAM initiatives in K-12 education. One of the biggest talking points? Recent and continuing studies that show the positive impacts of arts education on other subject areas, such as the many positive effects of music learning on math test scores and comprehension. The arts can make a child's classroom education more relevant to what is going on in their lives outside of the classroom. This doesn't mean simply using the arts to engage otherwise disengaged students, it means using the arts to make lesson plans more culturally relevant to children.

Both the STEM and STEAM movements are relevant to the current needs of students in K-12 education, and more importantly, to the educational needs of the United States both now and in the future. Where STEM comes close to addressing the future and current needs of students and the country as a whole, STEAM addresses not only current and future needs in education but also the root cause of how students got to this point of apathy in the first place.
At its very core, the STEAM movement is about integrated learning and most effectively preparing students for the 21st century challenges we as a society, and they as individuals will face. If we ignore teaching students how to critically and creatively think, innovate and communicate using the tools provided to them, we do not fully prepare them for the future. Successfully teaching these needed skills can come only from exploring the intersection between arts and technology. “A”mazing what the “A”ddition of one letter can do.

Seeking logo design with professional look and feel, no color preference, open to ideas from designers, and for use on web and in print materials.

Target Market(s)

K 12 Public School Educators and Administrators, Educational Leaders, Parents of K12 students

Industry/Entity Type

Non-Profit

Logo Text

STEAM (In graphic), Below Graphic: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (smaller font)

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Logo styles of interest

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Look and feel

Each slider illustrates characteristics of the customer's brand and the style your logo design should communicate.

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Requirements

Must have

• STEAM in graphic and below Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math

Nice to have

• Concepts which might help you when designing the logo:
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math
  • Integrated Learning (integrating disciplines above)
  • Teacher Professional Development
  • K12 Education
  • Innovation
  • Critical Thinking
  • “Minorities” and Girls in STEM careers
  • Partnership
  

Should not have

• Cliché K12 teaching images such as apple, chalkboard, pencil, books