A city logo would seem to be a simple thing: A decal on the side of a police car, a giant symbol on a water tower, an emblem used on uniforms and stationery.
But considerable thought goes into some of those logos, with cities angling to promote their "brand" in a single image. While some logos are simple -- Maple Grove uses a maple leaf, and Mound's sailboat was created by students in a design competition -- others are trying to communicate a whole range of attributes.
In Bloomington, Edina, Plymouth and Eden Prairie, the logos were designed to convey dynamism or boldness or to pay tribute to history. They were planned right down to the exact color tone: in Edina's case, Pantone 347 Green -- the same shade of green used in the Irish flag.
Here's the story of the logos of some west metro cities.
BLOOMINGTON
The blue-and-gold logo shows a cityscape framed by the Minnesota River, with residential and business structures and trees that are meant to convey "the city's unique balance of nature and established community" along with natural habitats and parklands, according to Janine Hill, city communications coordinator.
She said the city's brand essence is "stable, dynamic, open and nature in balance."
Some people think the logo's swoopy base -- the river -- looks like a bird, in particular a kingfisher. The 2003 logo "turned out to be a little more dynamic than we planned," Hill said. But the coincidence is a happy one, she said, further promoting the idea of balance in nature.
