Student logo for €30m auto research centre

Sam Johnson (pictured), who is in the third year of a transport and product design degree at the University, saw off fierce competition from his course mates to come up with a winning logo for innovITS – ADVANCE, which will open in summer 2009 on the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) site near Hinckley. innovITS – Advance is a collaboration between innovITS, a leading player in intelligent transport systems, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory and MIRA. The centre will be developed over five phases, the first being the construction of a circuit re-creating a cityscape including a network of roads, traffic islands and controlled intersections. It is aimed at vehicle manufacturers as well as telecommunications companies wanting to test systems to improve road safety and the environment. Sam Johnson’s logo will debut on 20 May in front of representatives from Nissan, BMW, Hyundai and other world leading manufacturers at the Japanese Society of Automotive Engineers annual conference in Yokohama. It will then get pride of place at innovITS – Advance city circuit’s control centre and demonstration suite. The 22-year-old, who is currently on a work placement at the University’s Design Hub, said: “I just tried to keep my design as simple as possible while focusing on the circuit, the movement of vehicles, fluidity and elegance.”