Perryville unveils new logo

The City of Perryville has a new marketing tool to promote its community.

This logo was developed by The Wright Group, located in Perryville, and based on public input provided through an on-line survey as well as input from the mayor and board of aldermen.

"Our survey results indicated respondents had a strong preference that our logo should contain elements of family, nature and trees/landscaping," said City Administrator Brent Buerck. "Given that, we sought to create a logo that separated us from other cities but also reflected who we are as a community."

Here's a breakdown of the elements included in the logo written by Buerck.

Family -- At the forefront, we wanted to show we are a family community. To illustrate this, we made the family the center of our design. If you look closely, you will notice the father, who also appears as a tree, with a mother and child standing on either side of him.

Leaves on the Tree -- Many, many communities have identified themselves using a tree. We wanted to be a bit different and elected to have the tree double as our father-figure. In turn, his leaves are shown here as colored balls which will be the official city version of the logo. Depending on the use, we could replace these colored balls with soccer balls to advertise for a soccer tournament, chili peppers for the chili cook-off, or countless other items depending on the event. It provides a great deal of flexibility if we ever choose to pursue it.

Farm ground -- One can clearly see the family is standing on farm ground. Farming has long been a part of our local heritage and we did not want to see that left behind. Here it creates the base on which our community stands.

Buildings -- We identified several buildings that help tell a little bit about who we are as a community.

Specifically these include:

Courthouse -- At the center of town, we have a beautiful, historic courthouse. It is shown here in silhouette and provides a nice connection to both our downtown district and local government entities.

Homes - First and foremost, we are a family community made of many beautiful homes. Adding homes to the design reminds people you can live, work and play here.

Church - We are known as a community of faith, having the church's steeple in the background makes a quiet statement to this effect.

School -- Education is and should be a priority for all of us. The old-time schoolhouse is a nod to our local schools, both public and private, and the Perryville Higher Education Center.

Industry -- On the far right, you will notice a nondescript factory design. Our local community typically has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state and this is a tribute to the strong work ethic we grew up with. This is a defining element of our community and should be recognized.

Plant your Family Here -- We wanted a motto that speaks to both current and prospective residents. We are proud to have multiple generations of families living in our community. At the same time, we are a welcoming community and would like to see others consider locating their families in Perryville as well.

The city will be update its signage over time to reflect this new, modern design. The new logo is part of a larger community rebranding process that will include an innovative, modern website, scheduled to be completed around Thanksgiving 2012, Buerck said.