This year, Classics @ Brown held our second annual Button Badge Competition!  We asked all undergraduates in Classics courses to create an design that they felt represented Classics at Brown University.  Each year, the chosen image will be printed on a button badge and stickers as a fun way to show appreciation for the department and identify their fellow classmates. The winning submission will receive an Apple iPad for their design.  This year the announcement of the winner was delayed to the coronavirus pandemic, but we announced during this evening’s Virtual Zoom Reception. Helen Zhou, class of 2023 was this year’s winner. 

Below is the design inspiration Helen submitted with her image:

When first brainstorming my design, I knew that I wanted to represent the relationship between the languages of Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, and Latin through my logo design, since that is a major focus of the Classics Department at Brown. I used historical landmarks corresponding to each of the languages, with (from left to right) the Mahabodhi Temple for Sanskrit, the Parthenon for Ancient Greek/Ancient Greece, and the Colosseum for Latin/Ancient Rome. At first, because of the way that I colored the design, it looks like each building is separate from the others, but when you look closer, each building is actually continuous with the one next to it, with columns that have their base on one building extending to a different structure entirely. Through this, I wanted to show that although the classical languages and their respective cultures, histories, etc. may initially seem disparate,  they are actually interconnected.

Helen will receive her prize once there is more of a normal and consistent presence on campus for students and staff.  Congratulations to Helen on her beautiful design!