The ‘logo’ couple; Troy Edmonson and Lisa Prashad

Troy Edmonson and his fiancée Lisa Prashad

Troy Edmonson cannot recall the exact moment when reality hit him and caused him to realise that a career in agriculture was not for him. Having had a love for computers since high school days, he was now convinced it was the pathway to a road that would lead him to even switching lanes in his academic majors.

During his stint at UG, between 2004 and 2008, he did most of the courses that were offered at Global Technology, such as the technician courses, all the graphics packages and web designs.

Because these courses fueled the appreciation that he already had for computers from his schooldays, Troy decided to switch from Agriculture to Computer Science, and completed his diploma in the latter. He landed his first professional job at Kaieteur News as a junior graphics artist.

The winning Logo submitted by the couple

“I know it’s a weird combination to love agriculture and love computer repairs/designs. It’s not something I can fully explain; it just comes natural. It’s like I can envision an artwork before even lifting a finger…call it my mental canvas if you may,” he said during an interview with BIG Smith News Watch.

Troy and his fiancée Lisa Prashad were recently formally announced as the winners of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport’s social media logo competition. Edmondson and Prashad have a joint business, and they reportedly worked on the logo together.

On Tuesday, Minister of Culture Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr., in some brief comments about the overall competition, stated that he was pleased with the entire process, and that it reflected a great level of engagement, as he vowed that his ministry will continue to create policies and programs which will see even more engagements from members of the public going forward.

The selection of the winning logo was done out of 209 entries which were submitted as part of the competition.

The Ministry came in for some harsh criticism for its initial pick of a winning entry, which forced the reopening of the competition in what was later described as a more fair process of arriving at a winner.

Troy and Lisa told BIG Smith News Watch that they decided to enter the competition when they saw the entry which was initially announced as the winning entry previously.

Designing a concept that covers every aspect of what the ministry represents was very challenging, although it may seem as a walk in the park by some persons, Troy indicated.

“We thought of covering the ten most common and maybe important activities in the country that lend to culture, youth and sport,” the couple told BIG Smith News Watch.

Troy commended the subject minister for pursuing an initiative like this, and called on other ministries to do the same.

He also made the point that with no shortage of local talent, more activities like these should be encouraged. Doing so, he said, would open up opportunities to the many persons who are creative and very talented.

Both Edmonson and Prashad were congratulated for their work by the ministry, as it expressed an interest in meeting them.

The Ministry said it is also grateful to all of those who participated in the competition. “We encourage them to keep creating incredible pieces of art,” it said.

Apart from art and designing, Troy told this publication that he does have a likeness for animals, and had thought of becoming a vet.