In the News

Rutland's revamped logo hits city streets

By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: February 21, 2009

Ask Tom Macaulay what, exactly, the logo redesigned as part of the Rutland branding initiative is supposed to be and he's likely to answer you with a question.

"What do you think it is?" he asked Thursday.

At first glance, it's hard not to come away with the image of four leaves around a circle, not unlike an overhead view of a flower. Stare at it for a while, however, and the interpretation begins to broaden.

"People will see different things. Leaves, crossroads, points, but the main thing is that it's all connected at the middle, and that's Rutland," said Macaulay, executive director of the Rutland Redevelopment Authority, alluding to the accompanying slogan of "Connected, naturally," bestowed on the city last fall by South Carolina consulting firm Arnett Muldrow.

One thing you will not see in this logo is the image of a swastika that many community members felt the first design could be misconstrued for. At the RRA's request, Arnett Muldrow redesigned the image and presented Macaulay with two options. Those images were put to the vote of a small group of community members at a Rutland Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon in November and the current image was selected.

Kept from the original design was the color scheme, which features shades of dark green, light green, a rust orange and maroon.

Macaulay received the style guide and electronic version of the designs, which contain varying color schemes and arrangements of the city name, logo and slogan, as well as some advertisement copy created for specific downtown businesses, in the past week, he said.

"Part of the reason that it took so long was it took (the RRA) quite a while to land on a final design for the logo," he said. "I think (the consultants) were ready to get it to us a while ago."

The RRA is in the process of determining how to modify its own logo and stationary to include the design, and hopes other businesses in the organizations will follow suit. The city owns all of the material provided and the designs are free for use, he said.

From some it could be an easy adaptation. Included in the packet provided by the consultants are logos for each of the many organizations in the city, including the Creative Economy, Rutland Regional Planning Commission and Chamber, that meld the branding style with each group's individual logos.

If the logo looks familiar already, however, it's because the Downtown Rutland Partnership requested it in advance and had it printed on the banners running along Strongs Avenue and Merchants Row, according to Executive Director Michael Coppinger. The design is likely to become a fixture on city signage as the nicer weather approaches, he said.

"Our intent as we move into the spring and summer is to use it for Friday Night Live and other events," he said.

Coppinger said he also hopes to play a part in disseminating the advertisements that drew some of the most favorable reactions from the audience that turned out for the public unveiling last fall to downtown businesses, storefronts and various forms of advertisement.

"There are a lot of different opportunities those ads could be used for," he said. "I think now that we have the whole package in front of us we'll get creative."

stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com