Artist wins logo contest
Lynn Forbes described her concept for the county's new logo as elegant and progressive.
Forbes, an art director for Mass Media Marketing in Martinez, was awarded a $1,000 savings bond Tuesday night after county commissioner approved her design as the county's new logo.
She said she drew the stylized sailboat to highlight Thurmond Lake.
"I just wanted to bring that out," she said. "It represents going forward. To me, that represents growth."
The adoption of Forbes' design marks the end of a year and a half effort by county officials to update the 12-year-old New Horizons logo, which also sported a sailboat but included two more colors than the new version.
County commissioners opened the quest to the public in December when it solicited ideas from residents. Nearly 40 drawings were submitted.
The county then took their top three picks and let high school students vote for their favorite earlier this month, and Forbes' design was the winning option.
Marilyn Heuer, the county's project administrator, said the image will be phased in and its two-color scheme will be cheaper to reproduce than the former icon, which sported four colors.
"All current stationery, signs, shirts, decals, et cetera will be replaced as they become worn, faded or used up," she said. "Our new brand and logo will be used extensively for economic and commercial development."