This is the 18th year that Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality (EMDH) features a new design for the Fear the Bird program created by a student. This year’s winning design was created by Jenna Swingler, a graphic design intern working with the marketing and communications team since August 2023.
Swingler is a senior majoring in graphic design with a minor in technology, focusing on graphic communications technology. She is an Honors Program member and holds a leadership position in Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, promoting many volunteer opportunities on campus and within the Normal community. “There were really good designs to choose from and considering how close they all were within the voting process, I was pretty excited,” said Swingler.
When asked about her process for creating the Fear the Bird design, Swingler said following trends in design styles was a good start. While searching for inspiration, “I found a design where the letters were staggered in the lines but only had a few letters, and then I started experimenting from there.” She decided to differentiate her creation by using a full-body Reggie the Redbird after noticing that recent shirt designs included only the Redbird head.
The shirt design changes each year but always features Reggie the Redbird. EMDH graphic design specialist, Megan Slater, explains these guidelines and assists the students in aligning their ideas with the University’s branding guidelines. “It is their first introduction to a long project with multiple rounds of edits, having to hear opinions from different people and adapt to that. I think it is a great experience for them. I have always been happy with the shirts they produce,” said Slater. This is Slater’s third year guiding students within this program. The two current interns initially created around 30 designs, including some variations of each other, and progressively narrowed it down to the four proposals that the Illinois State University community voted on.
The Fear the Bird program runs jointly with the Division of Student Affairs and the Redbird Spirit Shop to promote Redbird spirit and the Bone Student Center as a vibrant space for students to gather.
Those who wear a Fear the Bird shirt to the Bone Student Center on Fridays may receive free perks and discounted items from retail partners. For more information about the incentives and giveaways throughout the 2024–25 school year, follow @Redbird_Life on Instagram or visit the Fear the Bird website. The bird shirt is currently available for purchase online and in-store at the Redbird Spirit Shop in the Bone Student Center and on North Street.
For more information about the Fear the Bird shirt, email EMDH@IllinoisState.edu.
