For immediate release:
March 2019
Bryans Road, Md., resident and College of Southern Maryland (CSM) alumna Selene LaMarca was awarded $1,000 for creating the winning logo/brand mark for an innovative proposed mixed-use development known as The HUB at La Plata. The owner of the property where The HUB would be built is the Hawthorne Rosewick Limited Partnership.
The logo will be used on The HUB’s website, thehubatlaplata.com, and social media, marketing information and other related material.
“Selene’s design depicts an oak leaf but if you look closely, you will see that the leaf’s edges are silhouettes of people. This is extraordinarily creative. The logo draws from the county’s rural heritage but also conveys The HUB narrative of our area moving toward a sustainable future,” says Project Manager Bill Murray. “Years of thought, permitting approvals and process have gone into The HUB to build a beautiful telecommunity, with distributed offices, that can benefit Charles County’s and the Town of La Plata’s tax bases by people being able to live, work, socialize, move and interact locally. The HUB will be a quality development where all kinds of people — from college graduates, families and retirees, to federal employees, business executives and a skilled workforce — can have a good life here.”
“When I was researching about the history of the town of La Plata, I found in the ‘Laws of Maryland’ book the first corporate limits of the town. The town limits were set by trees on different peoples’ properties, but the only tree to be named was a white oak on Farrall’s mill,” LaMarca explained about the winning entry. “This leads into the design. To represent the early history of La Plata is a white oak leaf. Within the leaf are four different silhouettes representing the four areas of [The HUB’s elements] connection: ‘people, jobs, businesses and good living.’ The silhouette at the beginning and end of the leaf also signify looking to the past (left) and looking forward to the future (right). The font pairings are a san serif Raleway and a serif Merriweather. Raleway is used to show a more modern view while the historical counterpart of La Plata is shown with the serif Merriweather.”
The HUB at La Plata will be undergoing a formal annexation process with the town. The HUB team’s vision for a walkable smart-growth community, where homes, cultural amenities, natural surroundings and job spaces will be integrated, can reduce the long and costly work commutes county residents have. Additionally, compact land use is better for the environment and open space is among its hallmarks.
Because The HUB team wants to support and tap the talents of local students, it reached out to work with CSM Associate Professor of Photography, Graphic Design, and Tony Hungerford Memorial Gallery Director Katherine Sifers to invite her graphic design students to submit logos. A second-place prize of $200 was also awarded to Liane Beckley.
LaMarca, who attended CSM from 2012 through 2017, took graphic design classes with Sifers several years ago. LaMarca graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, (UMBC) in 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts, and a focus in Graphic Design and minors in Art History and Museum Studies and Print Media.
She remains connected to CSM through varying activities and roles and is currently a Photography and Graphic Design Substitute Instructor.
Her other CSM affiliations and honors include: April 2016 to Present, The National Society of Leadership and Success: National Engaged Leader Award and Member; September 2015 to December 2017, Student Assistant in the La Plata Student Life Department; 2015-2016, Outstanding Art Student of the Year; ART Club Officer Positions — President, Fall 2015 to Spring 2016, Vice President, Spring 2015, Treasurer, Fall 2014; June 2015 to May 2016, La Plata Student Association as a Representative and Designer; September 2015 to May 2016, Fine Arts & Humanities Department Darkroom and Mac Lab Monitor; and September 2015 to May 2016, Vice President of Women Empowerment.
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