The N.C. State Fair, By Design

No matter where you are on the fairgrounds when the N.C. State Fair is in town, chances are you will see the the work of Amanda Morris ‘03. No, Morris is not a groundskeeper or a custodian. She’s not a carny or one of the countless vendors selling candy apples or deep fried Twinkies.

Morris, 41, of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., is a graphic designer for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As such, she designed the familiar logo for the State Fair. “Obviously, it has to be catchy,” she says. “Bright colors, bold, easy to read, something that evokes fun.”

Morris has been designing the logo since 2005, when she went to work for the department after majoring in graphic design at NC State (she loved art, but didn’t want to be a “starving artist”). She also has a freelance graphic design business, doing work for the likes of the Salvation Army of Wake County and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

As for the fair logo, there are a few essentials that don’t vary much from year to year – the words “State Fair” bursting out of a colorful oval along with the dates the fair will be open. But there are tweaks each year, incorporating different slogans or sights from the fair. This year’s logo features Dorton Arena, along with the phrase, “Worth the Wait,” a nod to the fact that last year’s fair was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Logos from other years have featured rides and slogans like “Nothing Could Be Finer.”

Morris and other graphic designers at the department typically start working on materials for the fair as early as January and, for the last five years, have worked out of a trailer on the grounds while the fair is open.

“Our team does most of the design and printing for signs on the fairgrounds,” she says. “That’s why we’re out here. We can make signs on demand, note pads, maps.” They may even be asked to make “No parking” signs. “Some of them are pretty, some of it’s kind of utilitarian,” she says.

Like many of the people who work at the fair, Morris has long ties to the annual fall event. She grew up in Raleigh, coming to the fair every year with her family. She even entered the fair’s school art contest when she was a middle school student.

When she comes to the fair now, Morris is able to see her art work just about anywhere she looks – on T-shirts, on banners and on signs. “It’s really fun,” she says. “It was really surreal the first few years, but this is my 17th year here. “I’ve kind of gotten used to it.”