Alumnus Robert Price, Carnegie, Pa., earned his Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design degree at West Liberty University in 1992. He is now known as the graphic designer responsible for the National Memorial Logo for Flight 93 that honors the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, who lost their lives when their hijacked plane bound for Washington, D.C., crashed in Shanksville, Pa. on 9-11-01, as part of the coordinated terrorist attach on the United States. 

This design will forever be a part of our national history. His other recent design projects include the 2013 Downtown Pittsburgh Light Up Night, the Pittsburgh Steelers Merchandising Catalog, PizzaRev Web Site and Marketing Materials along with others.

In fact, he’s now celebrating 20 years of award-winning graphic design and creative solutions in the Pittsburgh region, where he most recently began his own design firm.

But back to the Friends of Flight 93 logo, which is the pinnacle of his graphic design effort. The meaning behind the design elements in the logo, include meaningful details and serious thought, according to Price.

“The rolling hills in the logo represent the environment and scenic views at the crash site. Stonycreek Township, located in Somerset County, where the plane crashed, is a high tableland between two mountain ridges – the Laurel Mountains to the west and the Allegheny Mountains to the east.

Visitors to the memorial are struck by these mountain vistas, so I wanted to represent that in the logo.

Another important characteristic of the memorial is the wide views of the sky. This is so appropriate since the courageous actions of the passengers and crew on Flight 93 transpired in the sky. The contrails in the sky are probably the most important part of the logo, in my opinion. The presence of this small detail makes it clear that the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial is about remembering and sharing the story about Flight 93—not simply supporting a nature park with beautiful fields and mountain views. The contrails are a way of representing the presence of Flight 93 crossing the sky. While we didn’t want to use a plane image, per say, use of the contrails allows us to represent the plane and, by extension, the passengers and crew who were on-board, in the logo.

The black base of the logo calls to mind the black concrete and black granite benches and walkways at the memorial.”

To view images of the new memorial plaza, visit the website nps.gov/flni.

APRIL 11, 2013 BY MZAMBITO