The logo design for Evanston’s 150th anniversary celebration that proved most popular among voters in an Evanston Now poll also turned out to be the most popular among Evanston aldermen this week.
So, the blue, green and white design shown here will be the one that appears on city vehicle stickers and other objects around town during the sesquicentennial.
Alderman Mark Tendam, 6th Ward, who headed the group developing the logo designs, told his aldermanic colleagues at the Wednesday evening Rules Committee meeting that he preferred the simple one that was ultimately chosen over one that included the city lighthouse logo in the blue band at the top.
“The logo doesn’t work in a negative form,” Tendam said, “It makes it look like the city is covered with snow.”
Only Alderman Judy Fiske, 1st Ward, expressed a preference for another design that included the word “sesquicentennial” in its text.
“I like the word,” Fiske said.
The term for a 150th anniversary, which some find difficult to pronounce, is a compound of a Latin contraction meaning one and a half and the word of Latin and English origin meaning 100th anniversary. It’s believed to be an Americanism that first came into use around the time of the 100th anniversary of the nation’s founding.
City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said the plan is to replace the existing metal signs welcoming visitors on roads entering the city with the anniversary design and leave them in place until the end of 2013.
In addition, he said, the city will likely make flags to fly from various city facilities with the new design.
“We’ve also talked about having reusable shopping bags” with the logo, and “perhaps raising a litle money for an appropriate cause,” Bobkiewicz added
Alderman Ann Rainey, 8th Ward, suggested that the city borrow an idea from local schools and non-profit groups and create car magnets with the anniversary logo.
“You can’t see city stickers on cars as you’re zooming around town,” Rainey said, but the magnets “are one of the best branding pieces in this town.”
And yes, Tendam said the problem noted by a commenter in the Evanston Now poll, that the dates are not centered at the bottom of the logo, will be fixed in the final version.