Logo of Charlottesville
The Logo of Charlottesville is is an icon that is used to represent the city outside official legal documents. It appears as a squircle with an outer ring of words reading “Charlottesville - Virginia - 1762”, and four separate figures inside the ring behind a different color. These are, clockwise, the Rotunda of UVA with a blue (sometimes gray) background, a Dogwood flower with a red background, the City Hall’s facade depicting James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe with a green (sometimes teal) background, and a cannon with a yellow background. The logo appears on “letterheads, forms, painted on the side of City-owned vehicles, etc”[1] , and also rests atop the entrance to City Hall.
|
This article is a stub. You can help cvillepedia by expanding it. |
Differentiation between the Seal and Logo
The City of Charlottesville differentiates the city’s seal with its logo. The seal, legally known as the “corporate seal” of Charlottesville is an object used to stamp official, legal documents and its use is outlined in the City’s code in Section 2-1[2], whereas the logo refers to the design that is used on other documents and can be displayed outside of paperwork by anyone, as there is no legal policy applying to the logo’s use.
Creation and Adoption
On April 5th, 1971, City manager Cole Hendrix recommended that the city hold a contest for the creation of a city seal.[3] The idea that the city should adopt a seal and flag was first mentioned almost a decade prior, on September 17th, 1962, in a report of Charlottesville's 200th Anniversary celebration. However, no seal or flag seemed to come from this at the time.[4] The idea of a contest presented by Hendrix was unanimously approved at the same meeting on April 5th, 1971, and the contest seems to have lasted through June.
The modern logo was chosen by an established “Seal Selection Committee” during the city meeting on July 6th, 1971. The winning design, created by local resident[citation needed] Mr. R. W. Vanderberry was selected but its official adoption as city logo was postponed until the next city meeting.[5] On July 19th, The City Council unanimously voted in favor of adopting the logo, officially titled “An Ordinance to Amend and Reordain Section 1-9 of the Charlottesville City Code to Permit the Use for Other Than Official Documents, of an Identifying Device.”[6] This officially established the logo that Charlottesville has today.
Controversy
On November 17th, 2020, Councilor and then Vice-Mayor Sena Magill (D) said in a speech that she “[didn’t] think our current city logo reflects us as a city. We have changed. We have been reexamining who we are and I think a logo is pretty important with that.” Councilors Magill and Michael Payne (D) supported holding another contest like the one in 1971, stating that it would be "an exciting opportunity" for community engagement.[7] Rob Schilling (R), a former Charlottesville City Councilor and current political commentator, published an article to his personal talkshow’s website as a rebuttal on the next day stating that Magill was “triggered” by the cannon and rotunda, and that he would submit his own proposal for a new design contest: a play on the current seal, replacing “Virginia” with “Democratic Socialist Republic” and changing the icons in the logo with a hammer and sickle, and a portrait of Mao Zedong.[8]
References
- ↑ Web. Origins of the City Logo; Process for Changing, City of Charlottesville, Virginia City Council Agenda, November 2020, retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ↑ Web. CODE OF THE CITY OF CHARLOTTESVILLE (1990), City of Charlottesville, Virginia City Council Agenda, November 19, 1990, retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ↑ City Hall Meeting excerpt, 4/5/1971, p. 174
- ↑ City Hall Meeting excerpt, 9/17/1962, p. 112
- ↑ City Hall Meeting excerpt, 7/6/1971, p. 187
- ↑ City Hall excerpt, 7/19/1971, p. 188-189
- ↑ Web. City Council supports revising logo, but not now, Nolan Stout, The Daily Progress, November 17, 2020, retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ↑ Web. Logo-licious: Charlottesville City Council to redesign city seal, Schilling Show, November 18, 2020, retrieved 2023-05-12.