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WEST FARGO — The city has settled on a new logo, one that keeps the traditional graphic but adds its slogan, "A city on the grow."
Commissioners Mark Simmons and Mandy George worked with Communications Director Melissa Richard to make slight changes to the city's logo after the commission rejected a branding proposal from Chandlerthinks, a Nashville, Tenn., based consultant the city hired last year to consider the city's brand and story.
The proposed designs essentially put the existing logo and the rejected logo together using a font influenced by Chandlerthinks, the consultant hired by the city last year.
Chandlerthinks had proposed changing the city's tag line from "a city on the grow" to "West Fargo, A Bolder Direction," in July.
Monday, Dec. 19, the commission examined three different options that had slight differences such as the size of the words "West" and "Fargo" which are stacked on top of each other. Richard said one option had the word "West" larger than "Fargo," an intentional design that spoke to West Fargo's individuality from Fargo.
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Commissioner Brad Olson pointed to the redundancy of the word "city" which was in the logo twice, once as "The city of West Fargo" and again as "A city on the grow." However, Simmons moved to approve the logo as it was presented.
The familiar green and white square was initially designed by West Fargoan Greg Nelson. Around 2002, West Fargo held a logo contest and asked for logo designs from around the area. The submissions were then narrowed down by the city, and Nelson's submission was chosen as the city's new logo.
The design is a mix of traditional and modern, which Nelson said was like the city. Inside the graph design are the three bars that, if looked at from an angle, form the shape of a "W" for West Fargo. Nelson used green and white colors to match West Fargo's first and only high school at that time. The West Fargo High School packers represent the city's history as well, as West Fargo is known to have formed and grown by by the former stockyards and meat-packing industry.
The commission approved the final design with a 3-2 vote. Mayor Bernie Dardis and Olson voted against the motion.
Readers can reach West Fargo editor Wendy Reuer at wreuer@forumcomm.com or 701-241-5530 . Follow her on Twitter @ForumWendy .
