Saint Mary’s University Chemistry Society (SMuCS)

This dates back to 1990. I studied graphic design at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), and my sister studied sciences at Saint Mary‘s University (SMU), both located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was two years into my degree when my sister, president of the university’s chemistry society, asked if I would develop a logo for a fundraising campaign. I was thrilled to work: T-shirt sales proved highly profitable for the group, and the project was my first design commission.

Looking back, this was created in the days of PMT (photomechanical transfer). The type was pasted on an artboard: the first and last job and project I delivered as mechanical art. The experience also revealed how the design process is part look-and-feel and part persuasion. While I believed the Atomic Number could be changed to match the academic year, the committee believed otherwise—Sumarium (62), Uranium (92), Carbon (6), and Sulfur (16). My sister was stuck in the middle. Presented here, is the penultimate design.

Design: John deWolf (self-employed). Client: Saint Mary’s University Chemistry Society. Timeframe: 1990