Introducing Our New Alumni Logo for The Orange Tree

amyconey
12 hours ago
3 min read

Back in October, we invited current and past learners to take part in a logo design competition for our alumni network, The Orange Tree. We were delighted to receive such a wide range of creative entries, showcasing the talent, individuality, and ambition across our community.

The competition was created to put our learners and alumni at the heart of The Orange Tree’s development, giving them the opportunity to shape the look and feel of the network from the very beginning.

Each entry was judged on creativity, originality, and how well it reflected the values and purpose of The Orange Tree alumni community. We asked designers to consider themes of community, growth, professionalism, and creativity. All of which were brought to life in different ways across the submissions.

Once the competition closed, we brought together a judging panel from across the business, representing expertise in apprenticeships, marketing, and creative industries. The panel included Jonathan Fitchew, CEO of Apprentify Group; SallyAnn Colman, Managing Director of The Juice Academy; Ethan Taylor, Performance Marketing Director at Apprentify Group and Juice alumnus; Heather Blewett, Programmes Manager at The Juice Academy; and Roisin Madigan, Head of Offline and Community Marketing at Apprentify Group.

After much deliberation, the panel all agreed there was one design that stood out from the rest. The design encompassed all the values of The Orange Tree, while showcasing the rich network of alumni.

We are pleased to announce the winning design was created by Lydia Mancell, a Juice alumnus in Content Creation, who now works at St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice.

Lydia said:

“ Winning the opportunity to design the Orange Tree Alumni Network logo was incredibly rewarding. I sketched the initial concept by hand, as that’s where my creativity feels most natural. The vision for it came to me almost instantly!

Being part of a newly developed alumni network for The Juice Academy and seeing my very first logo design brought to life as the network’s branding is something I’m truly grateful for and proud of. I hope this is just the beginning of my design journey!”

Juice Academy Managing Director, SallyAnn Colman, said:

“We’re incredibly excited to see our alumni network grow into a space where experiences can be shared, advice offered, and career journeys celebrated. Having our alumni at the heart of both the development and creation of this network is pivotal — which is why having the logo designed by one of our own alumni makes it so special.”

The standard of entries was extremely high, and we’d also like to recognise two fantastic runners-up:

Jack Bellamy – Graphic Design Juice Alumnus

“I had been practicing my design skills for a couple of months, as it was a major weakness of mine. After humming and hawing, I thought I’d give it a go. The I received an email saying I’ve come runner-up. I was in disbelief. It was exactly the confidence boost I needed..”

Ben Mashiter – Content Creator Juice Alumnus

"I feel extremely grateful to be named a runner up in the competition. It gave me an opportunity to push beyond my comfort zone and use my creativity. I am excited for the launch of The Orange Tree and can't wait to see how it takes shape and opens up this great network of Juice Academy Alumni. Congratulations to Lydia who is a peer of mine for putting forward an absolutely incredible design and to my fellow runner up Jack.”