The Logo

My grandfather was a rock ’n’ roll radio DJ in the 1950s and 1960s, most notably at KYW/WKYC in Cleveland. In 1967, he and his family moved to Detroit for a job at WXYZ, but shortly thereafter the radio station changed formats and he lost his job. That led him to found the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts in 1970 to train others to be in the broadcasting industry. Over the years the school had a number of logos, but this is one of the originals, and — in my opinion — one of the best.

The logo is reminiscent of the Shure (where I work now) Unidyne 55. Being the third generation in my family with an interest in audio (my dad had a recording studio for many years), I have long felt a connection to the school and its history. The school was absorbed by Lawerence Technical University in 2021, and, sadly, my grandpa died in September of this year. My adaptation of the logo is a small tribute to that history.