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The hidden meaning of the Super Bowl Host Committee logo
Haley Hinds reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Since 2019, we've seen the Super Bowl Host Committee logo all over the place, a nod to Tampa's history of football and of course, Gasparilla. It wasn't dreamed up by some large design agency in a city far away. This time around, it was inspired by a young intern, going to school right here in Tampa.
It was day one at Patchanit Sriviroch's internship with Schifino Lee in Tampa during the summer of 2019. The agency offered the senior University of Tampa graphic design major a shot at designing the Super Bowl Host Committee logo.
For an intern, it might be a creative exercise and a great learning experience, but Sriviroch saw it as a serious opportunity.
"They wanted something that's water-focused, something that's energetic, exciting and welcoming," Sriviroch said.
She dedicated plenty of time to researching what makes the region special. Her sketches went from paper to a computer screen. There were edits, tweaks, and changes to colors and fonts as we work through it with the agency's team until it was fit for a Super Bowl.
"It was a three-month process for one logo," Sriviroch said.
That exercise turned into a real job when she got a call from her boss.
"They picked your logo to be the final design," Sriviroch recalled her boss saying. "I was like, ‘Oh no. You're kidding me!’"
The logo, chosen by the Super Bowl Host Committee, is now everywhere you look. There's red and pewter for the Bucs, blue coloring for the water-side attractions, a Gasparilla pirate ship, five sails for Tampa Bay's fifth Super Bowl and five laces for the "Forever 55" social initiative.
"I still can't wrap my head around it, even though I finished this about a year and half ago," Sriviroch said.
Patchanit Sriviroch came from Thailand to the U.S. as a high school exchange student. Her uncle, a huge Bucs fan, introduced her to American football. Her teacher at Bayshore Christian School ignited her passion for graphic design.
"She had a creative mind that thought outside of the box and dared to try new designs. If they didn't work, it didn't stop her," said English teacher, Emily Stoops. "We are so proud of her."
Stoops spotted her budding talent right away.
"I told her this could be something that you do and do well for the rest of your life," Stoops said.
Sriviroch took that advice and sailed away with it. Her creativity is now on display for the world to see.
"I just went to the Super Bowl Fan Experience downtown on the weekend and I saw the logo and actually cried in front of it, like, man, this is so real from the sketches I had," Sriviroch said.
Sriviroch is forever grateful to Schifino Lee for the life-changing internship experience, opportunity and all the teamwork that went into bringing the logo to life.
And, talk about coming full-circle, Bayshore Christian School is celebrating 50 years next year and their logo for the celebration will be designed by none other than their 2015 graduate.