Finalists picked in logo contest
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Proposed Columbia County logo #1
Photo by Jim Blaylock
And then there were three.
Two months after opening the quest for a new county logo to the public, Columbia County officials have culled their top picks down to the finalists.
"We've gotten down to three different logos, each of them is very distinctive," said Marilyn Heuer, county project administrator, adding that the logo makeover is a component of the county's economic development program.
"We need to be attractive and compete with counties all over the state and country for business, and we really need to look professional and sharp," she said.
Students at the county's four high schools will vote on their favorite image during an in-school election Feb. 6, and the results will go back to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners for the final decision.
Proposed Columbia County logo #2
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"It will be interesting to see how they feel about what represents them and their future in the county," Heuer said.
Responding to the number of phone calls he has received from residents about the expense of switching logos, County Commissioner Tom Mercer said the old symbol would stay until time to reorder supplies bearing the new image.
As county stationery runs out and county trucks are retired, the New Horizons logo would gradually be replaced.
"What we will do is we will phase it out," Mercer said. County officials also said the company that maintains the county's logo-bearing water towers paints the image at no cost to the county.
Though certain details are the same in the three choices, they each highlight a different identity for the county.
Traditionalists might gravitate toward the one that looks very similar to the county's existing New Horizons logo, which was adopted 12 years ago and shows a sailboat in front of a yellow sun.
Proposed Columbia County logo #3
Photo by Jim Blaylock
Evoking a family-friendly Columbia County, another option shows a family walking hand-in-hand with a sailboat in the background.
The slick, stylized sailboat choice is intended to portray a more professional, businesslike image.
The word "Georgia" is now a part of the logos - to help out those outside the state who might need some help placing this Columbia County.
As for the reoccurring sailboat, Heuer said it's a symbol tied into the county's history from its beginning.
"It keeps the sailboat, which is symbolic of Christopher Columbus, who the county was named after," she said.