SANFORD — She started, she said, scribbling on paper, thinking about a design.

Then, Guenevere Beaupre, a Sanford High School student and senior in the digital design program at Sanford Regional Technical Center, kept at it, developing a logo that was chosen to help brand the Sanford Performing Arts Center for the next 50 or more years.

“I love logo design,” said Beaupre. “I started with a circle, and the color. I started playing with different aspects of performing arts.”

On Monday night, Beaupre learned her design, featuring dance, theater and music themes, was the winner in a logo contest rolled out in March.

Beaupre said as she thought about possible designs, she kept going back to Sanford Performing Arts Center Director Brett Williams, asking questions about the performing arts center and its mission.

“She’s a pro,” said Williams. “This is what professionals do.”

“I like the way the colors flow,” Beaupre said, referring to the blue, purple and wine colors in the logo.

In the contest, judged by school administrators and members of the performing arts center committee — 16 people in all — Beaupre’s design came out tops in a field of more than 40 entries. Williams said there were submissions from as far away as Chicago, ranging from hand-drawn concepts sketched in crayon to vector art created using digital design software.

The winner was announced at Monday’s School Committee meeting, and was kept a secret until then. Beaupre attended the session to be recognized as the Sanford Regional Technical Center’s Student of the Quarter. Then, Williams got up to talk and unveiled a large poster-sized copy of the winning logo and Beaupre’s face lit up with a big smile.

Beaupre has taken six college-level classes at SRTC and plans to take more at York County Community College in the fall, said her digital design instructor, Anita Lavigne. As well, an internship at Mikini Embroidery and Sports Apparel two days a week last school year has spun off into a part-time job.

Williams presented Beaupre with a certificate of achievement and announced that she would be the recipient of a front-row seat named in her honor — the first named seat in the new 860-seat auditorium — scheduled to open for its first performances in December.

Beaupre earned cheers and a standing ovation.

“When we launched the contest, I could never have imagined the volume and high quality of the entries we received,” said Williams. “To have a world-class logo created by one of our own SRTC students is the absolute best outcome we could have ever hoped for. Guen has a bright career in graphic arts ahead of her and I’m proud that the SPAC will be part of her legacy.”

Her winning logo will serve as the cornerstone of the SPAC’s branding campaign, Williams said, and will be featured on everything from building signs to tickets and playbills.

“All I say can is ‘wow,’” said School Committee Chairman John Roux.

“She really understood our mission,” said Williams.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.