The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) has opened its competition for a logo, an identity, for St. Maarten’s Carnival. Once selected, it will mark the first time that Carnival as a festival will have a logo that can be branded worldwide and make St. Maarten’s Carnival instantly recognizable.
President of the SCDF Mike Granger explained that while the foundation has an official logo that is used on correspondence and promotions, the festival itself does not have a visual identity that can be splashed worldwide and branded on merchandising items.
"We want to have logo that clearly identifies and sets St. Maarten’s Carnival apart. We have opened this competition to find such an image, such an identity. The good folks at the Heineken Regatta can be used as a good example of this. The Regatta has a set logo with a set slogan, "Serious Fun". It is used annually and people know that it’s St. Maarten regatta when they see that. Carnival should have such an image," Granger said, adding that it is step one in the effort to push St. Maarten’s Carnival internationally.
"This will be a phased process. The ground work has to come first and this is just a first step. Once we have that image, we’ll get to work on the rest of the plan," he explained.
The competition is open for everyone, amateurs, professionals, young and old. The design should be comprised of the words "St. Maarten Carnival" accompanied by a short, catchy slogan. The design must be festive, legible and visually appealing. The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2012 and submissions can be emailed to sxmcarnival@hotmail.com or mikegranger@hotmail.com. Designer may seek clarification by sending an email to the aforementioned addresses.
The winning designer will be awarded a season pass to Carnival 2013 and 2014.