Recent William & Mary graduate Cory Chapman created the winning design for a new t-shirt for Swem Library. Chapman’s design was chosen from among 33 submissions in the library’s t-shirt design contest.
After receiving numerous requests from students for a Swem t-shirt, the library launched the contest in October. A group of staff, students and alumni judged the submissions, choosing five designs to put out for public vote. Over a two-week period 2,000 people voted in the online survey, with Chapman’s design coming out on top.
“I used my two favorite symbols from W&M: the modernized cypher and the Swem window. There is just so much good history in both glyphs that I couldn't help but include them,” Chapman said.
Chapman graduated from W&M last year with a bachelor’s degree in biology. While at the college, he worked at the library as an archives intern in the Special Collections Research Center, cataloging blueprints and maps. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree in information science at UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Information and Library Science.
“Being in a library graduate program, I really love showing my library pride, and what better way to announce that pride to the world than to don a t-shirt of my own design for one of the best libraries in the country,” he said.
Chapman expects to complete his graduate studies next year, and recently accepted a position as a user experience designer with Roundarch Isobar in Boston, starting in June 2013. Roundarch Isobar creates applications and digital marketing for the web, mobile devices and social media. Its clients include HBO, Coca-Cola, Yahoo, Adidas, Boston Celtics and U.S. Air Force.
The other designs selected for public vote were created by Paul Brockwell ’07 and current W&M students Kyle McVeigh and Sarah Prowitt.
T-shirts featuring the winning design will be available for purchase in Swem Library in late January. Information on pricing and other details will be posted on the library’s website: https://libraries.wm.edu.