Durango’s logo, a set of simple geometric shapes depicting the front of a train engine against a mountain backdrop, is one of the first things people see on the city’s website. It appears on city letterhead, news releases, some street signs, and can be found at the local library and at the post office.
The logo usually incorporates green for the mountains, which alludes to the vast outdoors Durango is well regarded for. But someday soon, it could be tweaked or re-imagined completely.
The city accepted bids from graphic design companies to redesign the logo. The bidding period closed Feb. 8, and the city received about 15 submissions for review, said Tom Sluis, spokesman for the city of Durango.
The city is looking for a graphic design partner in general, but it specifically mentioned a redesign of the city logo in its bid request, Sluis said. At this point, the city has just been seeking information from potential partners.
Sluis said no decisions have been made about a new logo, but through his research into other cities that have pursued logo redesigns, expenses could range from $5,000 to several hundred thousand dollars.
Durango City Council first discussed the idea of a logo update in 2019, he said. A related project appears in the city’s 2021 Strategic Plan under the category of Enhanced Livability and Sense of Place.
The logo project, should the city pursue it, plays into a goal established in the 2021 Strategic Plan: “Establish a brand that celebrates and promotes the City of Durango identity.”
City Council wants to identify an iconic feature that would communicate to residents, visitors and potential business partners what Durango is all about, Sluis said.
But that can be a difficult concept to identify.
“Fundamentally, it’s like how do you define Durango in one image?” he said. “It’s a tall order.”
Mayor Kim Baxter said Durango is a community with residents of mixed income levels and diverse interests – an inclusive community as opposed to an exclusive one.
“That means we have economic vitality, we have health, we have a vital community and our quality of life is enhanced,” she said.
City government is working toward those ideals, she said.
“Creating a new logo, or even a brand isn’t necessarily about making change, but reflecting on who and what Durango is and how residents view themselves in the community,” Baxter said.
She said she prefers the word “symbol” to “logo.”
“Who are we as a community, and aspirationally where do we want to go and where do we want to be?” Baxter said.
Once Durango’s identity is established, how does the city communicate that to not only residents, but visitors and business contractors who want to live and work within the Durango community, Baxter asked.
One way would be to represent that identity in a logo that would be featured on city signs, properties and the website at durangogov.org.
Sluis and staff members have been reviewing bid submissions to determine if any of the companies can provide what the city wants and needs.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council asked staff members to hold off on bid reviews until council members can revisit their strategic plan and refine the direction they want to take city branding, Sluis said.
He said public input will be key if the city moves forward with a new logo because tinkering with the city logo, which has existed in its current form for at least 20 years, involves a lot of “emotional energy” from the public.
Sluis said he traced the current logo design back to the 1980s. It was slightly more detailed in its original form; it featured the mountains and the train but also included the number 476, a reference to a K-28 steam engine that was retired by Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1999 and recommissioned in 2018.
The logo’s number 476 was removed in the 1990s, Sluis said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
