Reservist wins RIMPAC logo contest

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

A full-time reservist from Victoria is the winner of this year’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) logo design contest.

Corporal Elizabeth Sleen, who works as a detachment clerk for the Canadian Armed Forces Recruiting Centre in Victoria, created the winning design for the world’s largest maritime exercise. She entered the contest after seeing a Lookout story calling for designs last August.

Cpl Sleen has no professional training in graphic design, and said it was her first-ever attempt at creating a logo. She was not expecting to win.

“Winning, it was the furthest from my mind. When I checked my phone and saw the message informing me I had won, I was thrilled with the news but also a little bit shocked and surprised.”

She is the wife of LCdr Darren Sleen, HMCS Regina Executive Officer, whose ship will potentially participate in the multinational exercises to be held off the Hawaiian Islands in June and July. RIMPAC is held every two years with the last exercise involving 25,000 personnel from 25 countries, 46 ships, five submarines, 17 land forces, and more than 200 aircraft.

LCdr Sleen said his wife’s winning entry was “an incredibly proud moment” for his entire family.

Her logo will appear on RIMPAC’s official branding including stationary, press releases, websites, social media, coins, shirts, hats and more.

She beat out more than a dozen entrants to claim top honours.

Central in her design is an aircraft carrier and warships sailing in formation, with a backdrop of the world and a trident, and the RIMPAC motto Capable, Adaptive, Partners in a ring around the outside.

The third ring is home to Hawaiian flowers, a motif inspired by Hawaiian design, Polynesian art, and tattoo work.

“I wanted it to look very classic and vintage, so I went with a stylized symmetrical look,” says Cpl Sleen.

The Commander of the United States Navy’s (USN) Third Fleet, Vice-Admiral Scott D. Conn informed Cpl Sleen she had won the contest in January with a hand-signed letter of appreciation. 

“You can be genuinely proud your design will represent the world’s largest maritime exercise,” wrote VAdm Conn.

After learning she wanted to enter the contest, her husband bought her a computer and the necessary software; she took on-line tutorials to learn basic design techniques.

“That was a big part of my effort, spending several hours on the couch at home in my spare time, learning how to use this software which was all completely new to me, but I’m glad I did it,” said Cpl Sleen.

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