AUC Centennial Logo
Raghda Barakat
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Posted Nov 21, 2023
Won AUC's 100-year logo design competition. The logo became a part of AUC's legacy.
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American University in Cairo
AUC Centennial Logo | Branding, Campaign & Strategy
When AUC celebrated its 100-year milestone, I created the winning logo in a university-wide design competition. This logo became part of AUC’s legacy.
Scope & Deliverables
Designed the official centennial logo, embedding interlocking pentagons within “100” to evoke motion and reference AUC’s historic emblem
Developed a full visual identity system for the centennial campaign including color palette, typographic treatments, layout grids, and flexible lockups
Designed all campaign materials and assets including signage, event graphics, merchandise, print collateral, digital ads, and social media visuals
Took an active role in campaign strategy and video content, contributing to messaging, visual direction, and video elements included in the broader centennial campaign
Ensured adaptability of the design across media including digital, print, large-scale installations, merchandise, and motion formats
Design Thinking & Strategy
The pentagon motif, placed in the heart of “100,” references the early emblem by Thoron and Naim Fahmi and suggests dynamic continuation beyond the century
The color palette balances prestige and vibrancy, leaning on AUC’s traditional blue and gold while injecting fresh energy
Every visual and motion decision was made to support consistency and coherence across the campaign
Video content was crafted to echo the logo’s visual language and reflect AUC’s forward-thinking, energetic identity
Impact & Value
Winning the competition solidified my role as lead creative. The centennial identity I designed became a central thread in the entire campaign, helping unify visuals, messaging, and motion across all touchpoints.
AUC's 100-year logo is a part of AUC's legacy. The logo captures the spirit of innovation, academic excellence, and global impact that AUC has embodied throughout its history.
The logo symbolizes AUC's diverse community, commitment to knowledge and learning, and forward-thinking approach to education. The color palette was carefully chosen to evoke a sense of prestige, professionalism, and vibrancy. It includes AUC's traditional colors, such as gold and blue, to maintain continuity with the university's brand identity. The logo is versatile and easily adaptable for various applications, including digital and print media, merchandise, and event branding. Overall, the AUC 100 years logo visually represents AUC's journey and achievements over the past century while looking towards a bright future. It should inspire pride, evoke a sense of nostalgia, and capture the excitement surrounding the centennial celebration.
The design features the intersecting pentagons as a key component in the heart of the centennial logo; the historic pentagons particularly represent a remarkable point of AUC’s history when President Christopher Thoron and illustrator Naim Fahmi introduced AUC’s first emblem that contained the pentagons, which shaped our first logo in 1970.
The pentagons were added in the heart of the number 100 to signify motion that goes beyond the first hundred years of our history, which reflects the very reason why Thoron and Fahmi first chose these pentagons as they thought it gave thoughts of motion.
This design symbolizes the number 100, directly alluding to the remarkable centennial celebration (100 years). In addition, 100 in numerology represents independence, wholeness, and infinite potential, which best characterizes AUC as an institution and community.