DeKalb Tattoo Company will decide on winners of its logo contest during Thanksgiving break.

Each year, students from Advanced Public Relations help a local business or nonprofit organization with public relations services. This semester, one group decided to focus its efforts on promoting DeKalb Tattoo Company, 817 W. Lincoln Highway, by creating a logo contest.

Although the contest is over, DeKalb Tattoo Company is still accepting logo submissions.

The first-place winner of the logo contest will receive a $100 gift certificate to DeKalb Tattoo Company, and the second- and third-place winners will receive a $50 gift certificate.

The group decided to create the contest after the owner, Nicholas Misitano, said he needed a logo.

“We got a good idea of what he wanted,” said senior journalism major Melanie Tocha. “There were a lot of great submissions.”

Course instructor Jason Akst said the groups can do anything.

“It gives the students a very meaningful experience. They take the class discussions and intersect them with the real world,” Akst said.

Senior English major Clair McNamara said after doing research her group found not a lot of people knew about DeKalb Tattoo Company. McNamara said her group looked for ways to help DeKalb Tattoo Company on a low budget.

“A logo contest was the perfect way to get students involved, get the word out and get them a logo,” McNamara said.

Students from the group, like Tocha and McNamara, had to make flyers, put out news releases and take on leadership roles.

“It’s was good experience getting to see what a small business needs to survive,” McNamara said. “It was eye-opening hearing his struggles. You wouldn’t even expect it.”

Akst said the volunteer project always seems to be the students’ favorite part of the course.

“The students get a better understanding of the challenges they’ll face in the real world,” Akst said.

McNamara said now she knows some of the pros and cons in working with public relations.

“You learn from your mistakes during this project, and you learn to deal with the challenge and the unpredictably,” McNamara said.

Students who are interested in submitting a logo should email [email protected]. All submissions will be passed on to the owner of DeKalb Tattoo Company.