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Alum Creates NFL Network Logo
By Jadell M. Forman (Class of 1990)
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That's where ORU alum Frank Garner 90 found himself after creating a new logo for the NFL network who, in turn, invited him to the 2004 championship of the National Football League. Here's the story:
About four years ago the NFL planned to introduce their own television network. But before doing so, they needed a logo. "They wanted to have the flair of the NFL...shield logo," Garner explains, "but it needed to be a stand-alone for the network."
The NFL hired and looked at logos from five different design groups, including WinnerComm/SkyCam in Tulsa, where Garner works as Broadcast Design Director.
"We put 50 logos in front of their face. They didn't really like any of them. That night I told my wife (Kerry Johnson 90), 'Honestly, in my heart, I don't feel like it's over, for some reason."
So, Garner went back to the drawing board. At the office, he took another look at his design team's logos created by him and seven other artists. Recounting input from the clients, Garner recalled his preference for the circle effect used at networks like ABC and CBS, and that the client wanted a football shape. Keeping those parameters in mind...
"I did another one, and told my boss, 'Get this in front of the network.' He did. They loved it." The logo has now been in use for about two years.
"I see it all over the place--on any network that carries NFL--CBS, FOX, ESPN." That includes the Super Bowl, which airs Sunday, February 4, at 5:30 p.m. Central time on CBS. "I'm 90 percent sure they'll use it during the Super Bowl," says Garner.
Ironically, as a freshman commercial art major, Garner wasn't this sure about his chosen path. "My first semester I struggled because most of my friends were business majors or pre-med. [I] received a little harassment for being an art major." But his convictions became stronger during those months. "I believe that is where God called me. So, I stuck with it."
After graduation, Garner interned at a production/film company that later hired him. In 1992, he joined WinnerComm, which then had about 20 employees. Today, WinnerComm/SkyCam employs around 250 people full-time.
Garner readily credits his WinnerComm coworkers for his last-minute design, saying their work inspired his. And he thanks God for the creativity to come up with what will probably be a long-lasting logo.
In an industry where much of an artist's work doesn't get used or has a short lifespan, scoring a design for a national sports league is quite a touchdown.
Contact Garner and see more of his work at www.frankgarner.com.
