INDIANAPOLIS – Thursday, July 1, 2021, represents a significant day in the storied history of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference as the league officially started the celebration of its 10-year anniversary as an active Division II conference.
 
A specialized logo to represent the conference’s first provisional year starting in 2012 with six charter members under Great Midwest Commissioner Tom Daeger was released to the public as the new page officially flipped to a new academic year.
 
The detailed logo will be utilized by the conference and its member institutions throughout the year as part of a series to highlight the 10-year milestone, including showcasing top 10 moments for each school since joining the Great Midwest, athletes of the week graphics, team championship graphics and all-conference awards.
 
The Great Midwest 10-Year Anniversary logo was designed by former Findlay swimming and diving student-athlete Gerard Niermann (2016-18) as he worked with the conference office to blend a number of different elements into his creation.
 
Niermann, from Plymouth, Mich., was a member of the Oilers’ conference championship programs for two seasons. He relished the opportunity to pursue both a high level of collegiate athletics and education. It also fostered his drive to pursue a career in graphic design and gave him a balance he desired.
 
“The thing I’m most proud of is encapsulating all that the Great Midwest Athletic Conference is,” said Niermann. “It’s a prestigious badge that comes through with the style and the stars representing the original members of the conference. We wanted to provide depth in the mark itself to give the logo a sense of establishment and the attention to detail the conference pays to in athletics and academics."

Niermann will also be designing a logo for the new Great Midwest Hall of Fame and the inaugural class is expected to be inducted in the spring of 2022. 
 
About the creator: Gerard Niermann has five years of full graphic design experiences tailored to business-related items. His portfolio and professional web page, can be viewed by clicking here.