Behind the Cowhide: Big Omaha designer breaks down the brand

Oxide is honored to have had the opportunity to work with the fine people over at Silicon Prairie News for all five years of Big Omaha. During this time, the Giant Cow has taken on a variety of forms. From the literal Giant Cow illustrations of year one and two, to the completely conceptual letters…

About the author: Nathan Kirkman is with Oxide Design Co., a communications and information design firm in Omaha.

Note: We’ve been fortunate to have Oxide as our exclusive design partner since the inaugural Big Omaha in 2009. As we’ve done in past years—see 2011 and 2012—we’ve invited the Omaha firm to share the story behind this year’s Big Omaha brand.


Oxide is honored to have had the opportunity to work with the fine people over at Silicon Prairie News for all five years of Big Omaha. During this time, the Giant Cow has taken on a variety of forms. From the literal Giant Cow illustrations of year one and two, to the completely conceptual letters to the Cow of year four. For this year, we wanted to capture the feeling of being the next big thing. Of being glamorous and—dare we say—fabulous.

Taking our cues from the runway, we restyled the cow into a fashion maven. Instead of leopard, python, or zebra, we have the best the heart of the Silicon Prairie has to offer… Cowhide.

The cow has always been a metaphor for life’s challenges, and this year it’s also about success. About getting your collection — your product, your company, yourself, whatever it is — out there and making it the best you can. This year, the cow represents making it BIG, not just being big.

If you haven’t already, get your tickets and join us. It’s going to be fabulous.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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