Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Art and Design is hosting “The Logo Show!” in Mabee Fine Arts Center’s Hammons Gallery through Sept. 27. “The Logo Show!” features work from nationally recognized graphic designers Rolando Murillo, Tom Nynas and Brian Owens. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Sept. 2, from 5-7 p.m. in the gallery.

“‘The Logo Show!’ is a unique exhibit in the sense that this genre of work, the commercial logo, is not often put on a wall and viewed in a gallery,” said Donnie Copeland, OBU assistant professor of Art and Design.

The three Texas-based designers have compiled impressive portfolios, working at some of the top design firms in the U.S. on nationally recognized branding campaigns such as the Kennedy Space Center, American Heart Association, Dallas Museums of Nature and Science, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Gander Mountain and many more. Their work has been featured in such prestigious design publications as Communication Arts, Graphis, and Print.

“There are nearly 200 six by six inch logos hanging in our gallery that display a variety of techniques and styles,” added Dr. Raouf Halaby, OBU professor of Art and Design and English, “each of which is intended to appeal to and engage the viewer.”

Murillo currently serves as president and creative director of Murillo Design, Inc., in San Antonio and has been recognized with more than 170 top honors by the world’s leading design and advertising organizations. He previously worked as senior art director for The Bradford Lawton Design Group in San Antonio and as a designer at the Richards Group/RBMM in Dallas. Murillo also currently serves as an adjunct instructor in Texas State University’s communication design and brand development program and is pursuing his Master of Fine Arts degree there. He earned his BFA from Southwest Texas State University’s communication design program.

Nynas currently serves as creative director at David Sutherland Inc. in Dallas—a manufacturer of luxury furniture and fabrics. After earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota, he studied at Atlanta’s Portfolio Center and was subsequently a member of the first graduating class of the Creative Circus. Nynas began his professional career at the Richards Group/RBMM in Dallas where he later became a principal. After briefly working as a solo artist, he became design director at R&D Thinktank, an agency he had drawn the logo for years earlier.

Owens also began his professional career at the Richards Group/RBMM in Dallas, where he became a principal in 2005 and a managing principal in 2008. In 2010, he struck out on his own to establish O&H Brand Design.

For more information about “The Logo Show!,” contact Donnie Copeland at [email protected].