Introducing the official A&S plaid!
Official A&S plaid design announced during A&S Week
Grace Blanton and Jessica Ogboh, seniors in the Department of Textile and Apparel Management, designed the winning A&S plaid. The official plaid was unveiled at a special celebration during A&S Week. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the undergraduate research process here.
Winning designers: Grace Blanton & Jessica Ogboh
Concept statement: "The goal of this plaid is to provide a design that is meaningful to the College of Arts and Science and Mizzou while also having the ability to be used in products. The colors represent identifities of the university with the official primary colors (Black and Gold) and secondary colors (Blue, Red, and Light Warm Gray). In the plaid you will see six vertical lines in the light warm gray representing the six columns of the original Academic Hall in Francis Quadrangle. Red will represent the foundation of the campus as some of the structures were built with red brick. The blue stripes represent the color of the College of Arts and Science and its initiative to teach critical thinking, research problems and find evidence-based, meaningful solutions, and make meaningful contributions to society. Ultimately, the plaid provides emphasis on and inspiration from meaningful aspects of the College of Arts & Science and its impact on the university."
Behind the Plaid: Spotlight on Undergraduate Research
At the beginning of the fall '22 semester, a group of Department of Textile and Apparel Management (TAM) students were given a unique opportunity to design the official College of Arts & Science plaid.
Twenty-two students met with A&S leadership to learn about the College's vision and values. During a three-week creative process, the students were taught how to design plaid, eventually forming teams and creating 11 original plaid designs. In October, A&S leadership voted for their top choices - the four finalists. In February, we invited A&S faculty, staff, students, and alumni to vote for their favorite design. We unveiled the winning plaid design on March 8 during A&S Week.
Mad About Plaid
This isn't the first time our TAM students have delved into the plaid design process. In 2006, students in a TAM computer-aided design class were asked to create the official Mizzou Plaid. Twelve students created plaids inspired by Mizzou's history. TAM student Lauren Drufke-Mahe, BS HES '06, created the winning plaid. Drufke-Mahe incorporated elements from the tiger, the columns, and University of Missouri seal to reflect the strong tradition and heritage of MU. In 2009, Mizzou sent a woven sample of the tartan to the Scottish Register of Tartans for permanent preservation in the National Records of Scotland.
