The Campustown Action Association is striving to change the way ISU students and people in the Ames community view Campustown. 

“We want to create a logo for Campustown because it will help create a more consistent image and a more cohesive feeling neighborhood,” said Ryan Jeffrey, vice president of CAA and owner of Arcadia. 

The area’s image among community members played a major role in the design choice for the logo. 

“When designing this logo, I did a lot of research on how Campustown should be defined, but there really is not a historical precedent of how Campustown should be defined as, so I based this logo on the experiences that people have had in Campustown,” said Doug Choi, graduate student in art and design and the logo’s designer.

“I have some experience designing logos and have designed logos for Arcadia and Lorry’s Coffee. I wanted to be a part of designing this logo because I love Campustown, the unique things it offers to students and it seemed like a great design opportunity.” 

The process of designing this logo has had its trials, but CAA’s branding committee is excited about the final product. Choi said it “represents the unique experiences people have when they go to Campustown.”

The colorful emblem will soon be used in printed work and will then be used all throughout Campustown so that people can get a more cohesive feeling of what the area is all about and what these businesses, restaurants and bars hope to bring to the community. 

“When researching, it occurred to me that Campustown was a lot more unique than it appears,” Choi said. “Campustown runs counter to many preconceptions of Ames, Iowa, and even the Midwest. In this way, the logo prompts people to look a little closer, to see Campustown as the exception to the entire area.” 

CAA hopes this new logo can help get the word out and further the goals it has been striving to accomplish. These include cleaning up Campustown, helping business prosper and getting information about the unique stores and restaurants in Campustown out to students and people in the Ames community.