The Shield magazine was founded in 2022; since then, it has walked alongside The Crusader newspaper. Rather than being its rival, it has been a quiet companion, being another hub for writers, artists, and photographers to showcase their talent through diverse features, reviews, and reflective stories.
As the publication enters a new chapter debuting its new logo, The Shield’s evolving visual identity doesn’t just reflect change, but also continuity.
This is just what founder of the magazine Angelina Ning ’23 envisioned. “I imagined it being an addition to the newspaper; that it would be a fun sister to [it],” she said.
She came up with the idea in her junior year after considering the writing heavy, news focused publication needed another outlet to “channel all the different types of creative expressions our student body fostered.”
Over the years, The Shield held on to its legacy. With two issues coming out every year, during winter and spring, it continues to thrive in excellence through meaningful storytelling in correspondence with awards and recognitions at the National Journalism Convention and local and state competitions.
Similarly, the creator of the original Shield logo, Vee Chen ’25, said, “I think change is simply a part of growth; I hope as The Shield progresses, it continues to evolve visually and take inspiration from previous editions, as well as outside sources,” commented Chen.
Creator of the new logo for The Shield, Benjamin Reyes ’26, said, “My first thought was creating something new and exciting. I wanted it to be something that could be as recognizable as the original design was while also taking some inspiration from it.”
Reflecting the same purple and gold color scheme and having the Crusader mascot in the logo, The Shield’s logo complemented The Crusader’s logo since its creation, becoming two in one.
“I think it’s a fantastic relationship, it’s like two publications that share a lung so to speak,” said English instructor and adviser of The Grail literary magazine Michael Vezzali-Pascual ’88.
Now, as both publications undergo a new era of change, the logos have become distinct in their own unique way. Though the logo helped establish The Shield’s identity, the publication’s impact lies in the voices behind it.
Vezzali-Pascual believes publications play an important role in fostering creativity and talent in the community. “It’s important that students have an outlet for creative expression at the highest levels of engagement because if not, what are we even doing here?”
The Shield will continue to blossom by engaging students through quality art and stories that matter. And together with the newspaper, their companionship is timeless.
