Commission discusses updating county's logo

By Charlene Sims, info@linncountyjournal.com

MOUND CITY – In April, Economic Development Director Chasity Ware and Commissioner Alison Hamilton discussed developing a logo for the county because according to them the county did not have one.

At the April 28 meeting, Ware said that she had been looking for an official logo for the county but could not find that anything had been adopted. She asked the commissioners how they would like it if she moved forward on this and came up with something they could adopt. 

The Linn County logo which was created nearly three decades ago, incorporates symbols of the maple leaf and a sword, a nod to the area's natural beauty and the county's ties to the Civil War. After taking samples public, residents chose this logo out of three choices.

“Are any of you aware of one (logo)?” asked Ware. “Danielle’s gone clear back to 1997 and said that nothing has been officially adopted.”

(In the minutes of the April 7, 1997 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners by consensus approved allowing the Linn County News use the Linn County logo, at right, as part of the newspaper's masthead.)

Ware continued, “In order to do what I feel like needs to be done that any sign that goes up on our county signs, anything that’s posted on our Facebook pages, on our website, wherever the case may be is, I feel like we need to have an official adopted logo, font and color scheme.” 

“That is something that I would have assumed would have already happened prior to me being in here, that we would have adopted a logo,” Hamilton said. “So, if that hasn’t happened, absolutely, I think it needs to be reviewed. 

We need to purchase the font package and we need to purchase the Pantone colors motioned and voted on. Because moving forward, I’ve seen trucks in this county, different colors, they’re different shapes.”

Hamilton said that it needed to be an actual company that they worked with to develop the logo and that Ware should lead the project.

Ware said that since April she has visited with other counties about how to develop a logo, and has come to the conclusion that it is not as difficult as some other counties make it.

At the July 21 meeting, Ware told the commissioners that she had received the first round of the Linn County branding fonts, color tones. She said that Mat Casner, who is owner and graphic designer for Mound City-based Redlogic, has put some time into this.

“Please understand this is just the first round,” Ware said. “This is not anything for a decision to be made today. I will also then email this to you so you can see it as well and look a little bit more into this. But I would like to introduce it to you today and then hopefully next week we can make a decision and we can talk it out and decide. 

“Yep, we’re going to change this, change that, different color, whatever you want. If you want him to start completely over. Understand that we get three rounds within the budget that I have provided for this. 

“So whenever we have to go back to him and ask him to change one thing that’s technically a second round or a third round. So we need to make sure that we have everything in order for him to go back to that second round so we can finish on that third round.”

She pointed out that first and foremost he chose the bell tower at the top of the courthouse because it is an icon. These logos will be used moving forward and they can be and will be printed in small spaces so the bell tower will hold up better in small applications. She said she was talking about like on the county’s letterhead or on a shirt.

She showed the commissioners pictures of the three designs. Two of the logos will only have two colors and one has three colors. She talked about the fonts that were used. She explained that the three colors would cost more as well as different fonts might cost more.

Ware said that she would like the commissioners to look at these and come back next week with some thoughts because the county was under a time constraint because the logo is a key component to the website that needs to be ready.

There is no mention in the county minutes about whether a bid or request for proposal was put out for this work. Neither is there any amount mentioned for the cost of the project.

At the Monday, July 28, commission meeting, Ware went over the first round of logos, fonts and colors for the commissioners. She asked if there was any feedback.

Hightower said that he like the third one.

“My opinion on it, I would like to see less red,” Hamilton said. “I think it looks Confederate. I feel like our free state was established on the basis of this being Union military. I think it’s a little too red. I’d also like to see you go back and have him redesign without the steeple and try to have something that’s a little bit more modern and then on top of like, maybe, come back like the current logo that we have. Tweaking the logo that we have and then have something completely new. 

“The steeple, I do think it’s special. I also would like to see the county commit to maintaining the steeple. If that’s going to be our logo, I have concerns with the maintenance of the steeple as it is now. Everyone is going to look at our steeple. And if everyone is going to come to the county to look at it, I would prefer to have a commitment from the county commissioners that we are going to fix this courthouse up.”

 “When you talk about something more modern, Ali, do you have something in mind that you would like to see there?” asked Ware.

Hamilton answered, “Well, I’ve had a lot of calls since last week regarding the logo. There’s a lot of people that are against a new logo and there’s a lot of people that are excited for the new logo. So, I think that giving them an option to see the current logo that we have, maybe tweaked. I would like to give that to the citizens just because there were concerns with the amount of money it would take to redo everything, every sticker on every truck.”

“You’re going to do that anyway even if you tweak the new logo,” said Ware. “So you’re going to have to . . .”

“Well it could come in the less timely fashion, honestly,” said Hamilton. “Like I wouldn’t consider going out and changing every single logo right now if we just started with the website and we could budget for the trucks and we could budget for AMR later. I’m just stating my opinion on it. It’s just mine. So I would like . . .I’m just listening to concerns of people calling me and that was one concern. 

“So if we could try to just tweak and make the original one look a little bit more modern. My focus is really just for the website, the letterhead and maybe business cards and then get into all other of the print material at a later date budget.”

“But you also mentioned maybe starting something over from scratch. So, do you have something. . .” asked Ware.

Hamilton interrupted, “Look at like Linn County, Iowa. I think that that ones very modern and chic.”

Hightower asked Johnson what he thought.

“I haven’t had one phone call about it, and I haven’t really gave it any thought,” said Johnson. 

“Well, I would like to climb to the top of the steeple and take the Santa Claus down if we’re going to have this as a logo,” Hamilton said. “So that would be my first move. I love the steeple. I really do. But, there are some issues with the courthouse that I would like to see a commitment from the county, whether it’s maintenance or public works or us, you know. I know we’re working with insurance now to get the roofing.”

“I mean this was a push from you to begin with, correct?” asked Hightower.

“I’ve already given you my opinion. I’m not necessarily a fan of the steeple and I would like to move forward with something different,” said Hamilton. “But again, I understand like every time she goes back like there’s no reason for me to say to go back and tweak this when I’m not 100% on it. And yeah, it is a push from me. I think that it is needed. I think that we need to rebrand the county completely. That is my opinion on it. Again, I’m one of three so if you guys don’t feel the same, that’s fine.”

Ware asked Hightower what his thoughts were.

Hightower replied, “Like I said, I like that one. I hadn’t taken any thought into the red on there. I mean no we don’t have the Confederate flag here or things of that nature so I really hadn’t.

“I know that the designer specifically said that he went with a deeper red for the simple fact not to go with our Jayhawk red here as well as a deeper blue to not go with a Pleasanton blue. And I’m not sure how we are going to throw in the green from Prairie View. He stayed with the patriotic colors of the red, white, and blue.’

“But I do know. . .” started Ware.

Hamilton interrupted, “I also said my concern was having something rebranded for the entire county. And again, like to me that just looks like that logo is just Mound City again. And so we were trying to come up with something that collaborated the entire county so the sword and that is a countywide. I like that. I don’t want to get away from the history of how our county was established.”

Ware said she was just asking for clarification whether the maple leaf on our current logo come from the arts and crafts parade. Because that is just Mound City. 

“Again, I might be reading into it too deep but that’s how my brain operated with whenever I saw that,” said Hamilton. “I don’t want to get away from the history, the history of the courthouse is when Free Staters were here voting and that is when Bushwhackers came over here and voted illegally. We’re known for the ballot box of fraudulent voting in Linn County. That was the first thing that happened here and so it’s just, to me, we’re going to focus on the courthouse. I would just like to have it maintained. In number one and number two it just doesn’t come back to countywide logo. That’s Mound City.”

Ware asked Johnson’s thoughts. 

“We’ve got to determine what we are going to do here now with the courthouse as far as if we use this logo and 10 years down the road we don’t want this courthouse anymore,” said Johnson. “I’m just saying. That’s not my thought but do we want to make sure we are going to use the courthouse.”

“All we’d have to do is keep the steeple,” said Hightower.

Ware said she had some thoughts and she would take them back to the designer and see what they could come up with.