ENCINITAS — The logo emerged from — and represents — a medley of influences.
As part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Encinitas’ incorporation, the city held a contest to select a logo.
Sloane Donnelly, a junior at San Dieguito Academy, won with a stick-figure surfer she said reflects the soul of the city, which “is the surf and the waves.”
Those interested in a screen print of the 40th anniversary logo on a canvas bag can visit the Pacific View Arts Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 3 or bring their own item in the days leading up to the celebration.
Donnelly said she wanted her design to reflect the vibe of the city where she was born and raised.
“Everyone is so in the moment and laid back,” she said. “I’ve learned to appreciate that.”
Donnelly considers herself nostalgic, which partly inspired the stick-figure surfer. Her retro influences include using a flip phone instead of a smartphone. She is also considering starting a business painting custom designs on binders for Pokémon cards.
“I really, really like looking into things and finding details,” Donnelly said. “I’m a big details person.
“I like to reflect and find meaning and, you know, decide new meanings as I go on. A lot of items that are nostalgic to me have strong feelings associated with them or memories.”
She said art and English are her two favorite subjects and credited growing up next door to Denise Paccione with opening her mind artistically.
“I used to be, in terms of art, a very rigid person, and I was very into following the rules of art,” Donnelly said. “I used to be very anti-nostalgia or any of that kind of reflection. I thought everything was realistic.
“Denise, she can paint realistically, however, she chooses to paint more abstract, and she really has taught me to be more fluid and to capture more emotion in my art rather than focusing on following the rules of art.”
Paccione owned an advertising agency for 35 years and served as its chief creative officer.
“A big part of my job was keeping the creative team stimulated and happy,” she said. “That’s where I developed my philosophy and many of my techniques.
“To me, art is about joy and getting in touch with that innate creative spark – which is joy. That’s what I like to find in my work and that’s what I love to help other people find.”
She said a key is getting out of one’s head and into one’s heart.
Donnelly took that lesson to heart.
“Sloane was one of the most creative, most intelligent, most articulate, most loving human beings I’ve ever run into,” Paccione said. “I think that whatever Sloane decides to pursue in her life, she’s going to be successful, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw the logo.”
The design also drew on another thread of Donnelly’s life — competition.
She plays for San Dieguito Academy’s beach volleyball team under head coach Doug Gilbert.
Gilbert said Donnelly was “an amazing representative” of both the program and the city at large.
“She goes out of her way to include others, and brings a positive attitude to everything that she does,” he said. “She is a dynamic student-athlete and artist.”
So when her art teacher, Angela Jackson, announced the logo competition, Donnelly saw a perfect opportunity and submitted multiple designs.
Of the four designs the city’s arts commission considered, two were Donnelly’s.
One featured beach volleyball; the other, the stick-figure surfer.
Donnelly said her winning design is “the better version of the Cardiff Kook” because a lifelong Cardiff resident designed it rather than “an outside representation.”
She added that she wanted the design to be memorable and fun, but also instantly recognizable.
Paccione said Donnelly “did a fabulous job” hitting that target.
“The professionals that worked for me couldn’t have done any better,” she said. “It’s very professional, represents the city, but at the same time it has a great sense of humor to it. So it appeals to the sensibilities of Encinitas.”
