LA Daily News January 9th 2002

 TARZANA - After 40 years of hoping, Dan Simon finally made it to the Super Bowl. Sort of.

As a kid, he envisioned himself playing in the big game, delivering victory to his beloved New York Jets. Four decades later, he's involved, but in a slightly different, but still crucial way. As part of a crack team of artists, the Tarzana-based designer conceived Super Bowl XXXVI's revamped logo, putting a newly patriotic face on the game's emblem.

Though Simon has involved himself intimately in the sports world for the past five years, enjoying office assignments with the Dodgers, Angels and Lancaster JetHawks, he had never tackled something of this magnitude. Especially taxing was the tight deadline, necessitated when the National Football League scrambled in late September to revamp its plans following the attacks on America.

"These things are usually designed far in advance," Simon said. "I had to turn this around in a week. I wouldn't say it was hard, but it made for a lot of late nights. I was happy to be up at 3 in the morning, though, because it was my dream job."

The original design evoked the game site's storied New Orleans architecture, Simon said, but required a radical switch as the NFL decided to change its theme to reflect the newly patriotic national mind-set. Brad Jansen, the league's executive art director, assembled a team of designers and set out to create a truly American logo. Simon, drawing upon his formal training and looking to WWII-era football programs for inspiration, set to work. Out of the many proposals, his quickly won out, despite the hurried pace.

"It was a challenge, but (Simon's logo) was one of those things that was almost instantly the strongest," Jansen said. "He incorporated the United States' shape, which appealed to a lot of people. Visually, it captured the mood of the nation."

As one of the most watched events of the year, Jansen said, the Super Bowl needs a snappy and professionally designed badge.

"It's very important," he said. "We're the premier league in sports, so our imagery has to be the best we can get. I think this is the biggest logo in sports."

Though Simon downplays his role in the design biz, his colleagues have no shortage of compliments for his talent and precision.

"He's wonderful," said Mike Nygren, the Dodgers' director of marketing and Simon's former boss. "I'm not sure there's anybody better in the industry. Talent will always succeed."

Nygren has no vested interest in praising Simon - the designer left the Dodgers in December after five years as director of creative services. While there, he created the vast outfield mural featuring Dodger legends, redesigned tickets, and brought the vast 3,200- square-foot murals to the outside of the stadium.

"The opportunity to work for one of the most storied franchises in baseball was the proverbial offer I couldn't refuse," Simon said. "They were paying me to do the things I'd dreamed of as a kid. I'd look at the tickets I'd held in my hand, and now my work was on them."

But, at the same time he was independently working on the Super Bowl graphic, studying how Sept. 11 had impacted the nation, Simon found himself re-evaluating his priorities. Though he liked the fun of the Dodger organization, the long commute and time away from his family suddenly weighed heavier on him.

"I realized my kids weren't a big enough part of my life," he said. "I needed around them."

Accordingly, he headed off on his own, launching Studio Simon in December. From his home office, he can watch over his two sons, Cooper and Casey, and be choosier with his design endeavors. So far, so good, he says - Cooper, 5, has set up his own miniature studio in the living room, and consults with his proud dad daily on his own designs.

"I get to eat lunch with my kids every day now," he said, smiling. "I couldn't do that if I were stuck in some office."
Illustration

3 photos; Caption: Photo: (1 -- color) Designer Dan Simon shows off his patriotic logo for the NFL's Super Bowl XXXVI at his home office in Tarzana. (2 -- color) Minor league baseball team jerseys designed by Dan Simon, who worked with the Dodgers organization for five years, hang in his home. (3) Dan Simon works on graphic designs for sports teams at the Studio Simon office at his home in Tarzana. Tina Burch/ Staff Photographer