To celebrate the opening of Morgridge Hall, the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences launched a campus-wide sticker competition in early June. Centered around the theme Home Sweet Home, the competition invited students to design limited-edition stickers that reflect the welcoming spirit of Morgridge Hall, a space created for all UW–Madison students to feel at home.
The response exceeded expectations, with nearly 30 students submitting creative and thoughtful designs. After careful review, five standout entries were selected. These winning stickers will be handed out during several Morgridge Hall grand opening events, including the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Meet the talented student designers and discover the stories behind their creations:
Isabel Liao: Junior in Animal and Veterinary Biosciences
This design intends to incorporate several key features of Morgridge Hall, including the atrium (called “The Heart” on the LMN Architecture website), and the native plants that will be featured on site. Bucky holding a computer and an LED light bulb represents CDIS, innovation, and UW-Madison’s commitment to sustainability. Also featured in this design are John and Tashia Morgridge, the philanthropists whom Morgridge Hall is named after. Surrounding them are various students, representing the collaboration and unity that Morgridge Hall hopes to bring to campus. Altogether, the features of this sticker design emphasize the theme of “Home Sweet Home” by showcasing that UW-Madison is a vibrant home to all of its faculty and students.
Hailey Johnson: PhD in Computer Sciences
I chose to lean into the “Home Sweet Home” theme and draw a sticker of Bucky at home with the new building showing through his window. There is a computer with an open terminal to highlight the purpose of the building. Plants, books, fairy lights, cheese, a chair, and a blanket make the scene cozy. I wanted to show midwestern charm while highlighting the new building. I hope you all like the design!
Daniella Wright: Sophomore in Computer Sciences
My design has Morgridge Hall in the middle, surrounded by flowers and plants that are native to Wisconsin. This is to represent the building’s 25% area that is covered by plants, as of which, the majority of species are from Wisconsin.
Sophia Chen: Junior in Computer Sciences and Psychology
This design is centered around Morgridge Hall being a foundation to build upon. Thus, the main aspect of the design is a drawing of the new CDIS building. Building on the foundation, I bring out the theme of “home sweet home” in the bottom right of the building. There is a visual network that extends in various directions, each symbolizing different ways that people are able to connect and the growth of technology. If you look closely, there is an icon for each of the majors represented through this new building, Computer Science, Data Science, and Information Science.
Nadya Flores: Sophomore in Data Science and Information Science
For this design, I chose a minimalistic approach in order to give it the same clean, versatile, and modern aesthetic of Morgridge Hall, while also making the sticker versatile and appealing to a wide audience so students, alumni, and visitors could proudly display. The background outline is inspired by the architecture of Morgridge Hall and is filled with circuit boards and tech motifs to represent the school’s focus on innovation in computing, data, information science, and statistics. The line print is a playful reference to the classic coding phrase print(“Hello, World”), which has become a meme within the programming community which also serves as a welcoming message as CDIS settles into its new home. The central badger graphic is inspired by The Badger Effect, an art installation in Morgridge Hall that honors those who helped bring the building to life. The red and white color palette reflects UW–Madison’s identity, while the words “WISCO” and “BADGERS” of course celebrate the spirit of community and pride that defines the campus.