In October of 2012, the University of Illinois celebrated the 50th anniversary of Nick Holonyak’s invention of the LED.

Illinois alumnus Nick Holonyak Jr. demonstrated the first practical, visible spectrum light-emitting diode (LED) at the GE Advanced Semiconductor Laboratory in Syracuse, New York on October 9, 1962. His design is the prototype for all high-brightness LEDs made today. Through improvements in crystal manufacturing techniques, researchers—many of whom studied with Holonyak at Illinois—have developed bright-light LEDs in every color, including white. Today, LEDs are everywhere. In 1963, John Bardeen invited his former graduate student to join the faculty at Illinois.

The celebration and symposium required a logo, invitation, website, program, banners, and many other pieces. The original LED light was red, which is why the logo uses a red bulb.