By Ron Wagner \u201993, Contributing Writer<\/p>\n
When Furman police chief Tom Saccenti turned Ross McClain\u2019s Graphic Design II class loose on his force\u2019s vehicle and shoulder patch\/logo designs, he asked them to come up with something that made FUPO \u201cstand apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Be careful what you wish for.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had three options. One, that our guys didn\u2019t choose, was the best design I\u2019ve ever seen for a police vehicle. It was amazing,\u201d Saccenti said. \u201cWe had another one that was really cool. It had the Paladin knight coming out onto the white part of the doors. It was insane awesome. But it almost like, crap man, you\u2019d better have a warrior getting out of that car. It was hardcore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even Casey Lovegrove \u201914 figured one of those ideas, created by classmates Derek Nelson and Katie Keith, respectively, would be named the contest winner after a vote by Saccenti\u2019s officers. It turned out, however, that Lovegrove\u2019s more conservative approach was the path to having her work seen on the Furman campus for years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised (they chose my design), because I spent way more time on my patch than the truck. I just had better ideas for the patch,\u201d she said. \u201cI remember sitting in my apartment with Sharpies filling in this truck template with any little design I could think of, and the one that ended up winning didn\u2019t exactly come from a super-brilliant idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lovegrove is selling herself short, obviously. Her tight sketch, with bold black letters highlighted by a Paladin-purple swoosh, has a classic appearance with a modern flair. \u201c(It\u2019s) a very, very professional design. It looks like a cop car,\u201d Saccenti said. \u201cWe wanted you to be able to see our car from across campus and say, that\u2019s a cop car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Keith wasn\u2019t shut out, however. Her Paladin motif found a home on the new badges and uniform patches, and both she and Lovegrove were awarded full-semester parking passes for their efforts. Nelson received a half-semester pass. Anna Riethman was the other finalist.<\/p>\n
Lovegrove, a Greenville native hoping to attend The Portfolio Center in Atlanta, won\u2019t get much use out her award thanks to her graduation, but she said the experience will give her something more valuable. \u201cBecause I\u2019m thinking about going into the graphic-design field this will be a great thing for my resume,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Saccenti became the Furman police chief in 2013, replacing Bob Miller, who had held the position since 1972. The first of many changes made was moving the department\u2019s officers from their cramped corner in the back of McAlister Auditorium to more spacious digs in Hipp Hall, and the logo contest coincided with a uniform modification to green pants and khaki shorts he says will more accurately represent \u201cthe park feel\u201d of Furman\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish (the new car logo) was a little more artsy, but you\u2019re dealing with old-school policemen,\u201d Saccenti said. \u201cThat (new) badge was a push. They have worn this (uniform) their entire life.\u201d<\/p>\n
McClain felt that Nelson\u2019s green-and-black car design, with \u201cFurman Campus Police\u201d written in yellow on the side, was the most inspired of his students\u2019 creations, but the larger issue is the class came through with quality work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Tom went safe on it,\u201d McClain said with a laugh. \u201cHe chickened out. . . The more he talked about (what he was looking for), I was like, this is a really great concept\u2014a private school that\u2019s on the Swamp Rabbit Trail that\u2019s a park basically. And having a softer approach to the police force but still having that authority is a good idea. That\u2019s what a lot of students heard, and especially Derek. He really took it and ran with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Furman will unveil FUPO\u2019s new look on Aug. 1.<\/p>\n
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