For my final design, I chose a ring to go around the 2018 USI because rings symbolize eternity, without end, and our marks have been left on the university forever, just as it has left its marks on us through our educational and creative journey.
This design uses the school colors, but I switched out the red because at first glance, it looked too patriotic/political, which isn't a bad thing, just not right for this particular event.
These were some other designs that played with the gradients. The glow ended up being too much, so it was removed in favor of the darker tones that desaturated the colors enough to allow the text to stand out. The text was also changed to a curve along with the background circle, as it fits more naturally in the composition.