New logo captures many facets of Monmouth
This is the City of Monmouth’s new logo. It was designed by Altar Media of Independence. Submitted image.
The City of Monmouth has a new logo, and it drew rave reviews during an unveiling held earlier this month in council chambers.
“It’s beautiful. It’s bright. It shows the trees, and the sunlight,” said Sabra Jewell, city communications coordinator, to those in attendance.
The logo was designed by Altar Media of Independence. It features bright colors, fields, hills, sun and silhouettes of trees, along with the words “Monmouth Oregon” and “Where Great Things Grow.”
The logo captures what many residents consider to be the essence of Monmouth.
“This logo represents the vibrancy of our community and the love we have for the landscape. The array of colors speak to inclusivity, energy, growth, and diversity of the Monmouth community,” Jewell said. “We hope that you enjoy this new logo for years to come and are proud to say that you live and play in Monmouth, Oregon. Where great things grow.”
Monmouth Mayor Cec Koontz debuts the City of Monmouth’s new logo during an unveiling held earlier this month. Photo by Lance Masterson,
The new logo promotes consistency in messaging as well.
“If you look at the (old) logo, how heavily pixilated it is,” Jewell added, as it was projected onto a screen behind her. “The logo wasn’t consistent from department to department. The green of the City of Monmouth is far different than the green of Power and Light, and both are different than the blue over at Public Works.”
After all, first impressions are important.
“When someone is looking at where they want to work and live and start a business, they’re looking for that kind of quality,” Jewell said. “So part of the driving factor for us was to just kind of elevate our brand in a way that this town really deserved.”
The process took months and included input from many people.
“We got together with a small group of people,” Jewell said. “But before we even got together, we sent out a survey to the community because we were not going to take this on alone.”
It was then up to the committee to sort through more than 200 survey results and determine what needed to be included on the logo.
“The fun of this project happened in this room as a small group,” said Monmouth Mayor Cec Koontz. “… the small group that criticized, dreamt big, big pictures of what we thought this should look like, and how to best represent ourselves to the outside world.”
Koontz added the committee was diverse and comprised of established and newer members of the community.
The committee examined survey results before “even looking at a drawing,” Jewell said. “We really cared about … what this community thought.”
Recognizing community inclusiveness was another priority.
“This group was so conscious about not just themselves and how they felt, but they really wanted to know who was being left out….It was great to see those conversations,” Jewell said. “We didn’t always agree on everything, but the heart of it was there.”
City councilors and department heads also offered feedback during the design phase.
Altar Media worked with city staff and volunteers in reviewing the survey responses. The process took six months as the design concept evolved, the city’s website stated.
Altar Media is known for its design work with other local entities, such as MiNet Fiber and the Downtown Dallas Business Association.
“They’ve done so much work around town,” Jewell said of Altar Media.“You’ve seen it. Because they’re working a lot in Dallas and Independence and Monmouth doing this type of work.”
Stickers with the new logo were available during the unveiling.
