LITH Man Uses Family Photo to Create D300 Logo

The first week of school was pretty good for Abby Lilliebridge, a fourth-grader at

The 9-year-old is basking in the glory over the news that her father, Peter Lilliebridge, is the creator and designer of the new logo for Community Unit School District 300.

Abby's also getting a lot of attention because she is one of the "models" in her dad's design, which won the district's logo design contest after thousands of votes were cast in April and May.

"She is definitely starry-eyed about this," said Abby's mother, Jennifer Lilliebridge. "Everyone is saying they can tell which child is Abby in the design. We've been told the logo is going to be on letterhead, and possibly other things. This is very exciting for our family."  

The excitement all started for the Lake in the Hills family back in March when Abby brought home a flier from school announcing the district logo contest. District 300 had used its former design for almost 20 years, school officials said.

With so many new things happening in the district — a new superintendent, new principals, a new all-day kindergarten program —it seemed appropriate to update the main design representing the district.

Peter Lilliebridge, who works at a book publishing company in Long Grove, has a background in graphic design and print production. Jennifer Lilliebridge has studied graphic design and illustration and commercial art. The couple has their own website displaying some of their work and products.

"We've designed a couple logos in the past," Peter Lilliebridge said. "After I saw the flier, I had an idea in my head for a couple of days."

Abby Lilliebridge and her younger brother, Nathan Lilliebridge, 6, a first-grader at Lake in the Hills Elementary School, were having a sleepover with their cousins, Tyler, 7, and Justin, 9, of Palatine.

Peter grabbed the group and lined them up against a blank wall according to age and size. He pulled out Nathan because he was too tall, and asked Jennifer to pose as a high schooler.

From there, he photographed the group holding hands and looking up at each other.

"I outlined the entire image and deleted the background, and Photoshopped the rest on the computer," Peter said.

He even added high heels on Jennifer, who was wearing socks at the time, and a cap, gown and diploma. The resulting silhouette represents the various stages District 300 students complete throughout their educational years, he said.

The Lilliebridges submitted their design by the district's April 1 deadline.

Superintendent Michael Bregy received 60 design submissions for the contest, District 300 spokeswoman Allison Strupeck said. From there, entries were whittled down to 10 finalists.

District staff,  students, parents and members of the public were invited to vote for their favorite design. Almost 6,000 votes were cast, Strupeck said, with the Lilliebridges' logo coming out the winner.

"We found out about three weeks ago that Peter's design won," Jennifer said.  

The new design officially was unveiled Aug. 12 at the District 300 staff pep rally held at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. Bregy also presented the Lilliebridge family at the rally.

"Abby asked if she's famous now," Jennifer said, with a laugh. "She's kind of famous now in her school. You can tell she's really pleased about it."

The new logo already has been added to the District 300 website, and other easy-to-change areas. It will be phased in over time on other items, such as letterhead, when supplies run out or need changing, to be cost-effective for the district.