City of Henderson unveils new logo
It’s out with the old, in with modern minimalism for the city of Henderson’s new logo.
About three decades since Henderson began using the logo once compared by a city official to a “hamburger” for how busy the image appears, the city has evolved from a bedroom community to Nevada’s second largest municipality with a third-of-a-million residents. It has attracted master-planned communities, Google, Amazon and pro sports facilities.
In one of two versions of the new logo — being implemented in stages since February — the letter “O” is a golden-yellow semicircle representative of how high the sun shines there, Assistant City Manager Stephanie Garcia-Vause recently told the Review-Journal. The other shows a white “H” topped with a golden arch.
☀️ Introducing the new City of Henderson logo! ☀️
The new logo is a modern reflection of Henderson's dynamic vision – a vision that embraces a future of growth, diversification and opportunity.
The former logo is now the official City seal and pays homage to our unique history. pic.twitter.com/xRinyhmfxm
— City of Henderson (@cityofhenderson) February 24, 2022
It can incrementally be seen on letterheads, websites, social media channels, city vehicles and uniforms.
The logo was designed by in-house graphic artists, and is being applied through attrition, according to Garcia-Vause, who said the rebrand had thus far incurred about a $30,000 cost.
When a vehicle is replaced, a decal with the new logo is attached to the replacement. When business cards run out, it’s printed on new ones, and it’s also on new apparel employees get once a year, she said.
Admirers of the “hamburger” logo — which displays a mountain range, sunrise, homes and water, and desert — didn’t have to shed any tears. It’s since been declared the official city seal Henderson residents can still see on monuments, official documents and facilities such as City Hall and parks.
Not forgetting the past
“We haven’t lost our history,” said Garcia-Vause, who’s been in Henderson for nearly as long as the city has used the seal. “The two can live harmoniously together.”
She classified the new image as “transformative” for the city that was incorporated in 1953.
“It’s a great reflection of where the city has come,” she said. “We are not the bedroom community we were 30 years ago.”
Discussions about the logo took place among the City Council and administrative officials in 2021, Garcia-Vause said.
“Our new logo better symbolizes the City’s success and boundless opportunities in attracting and retaining companies that strengthen our economy and benefit our workforce and residents alike,” City Manager Richard Derrick wrote in a news release when it was unveiled in February.
Earlier rebranding abandoned
This wasn’t the first attempt to re-brand.
About a decade ago, former City Manager Jacob Snow expressed interest in modernizing the logo, but plans were scrapped after the effort received national attention and complaints from residents, and the official realized it created a misconception of wasteful spending as the city was going through financial hardships.
Snow told the Review-Journal then that someone had mistaken the image on his business card for a hamburger.
“It just all blends together,” he said. “And it looks like a hamburger.”
Snow’s spending and implementation plans weren’t too much different than the current ones.
Aaron Moses and Tom Madsen were part of the city’s five-member graphic design team that came up with the new concept.
Out of about a dozen they presented, the long-time Henderson residents said that this was the one that resonated with everyone.
The process began some 18 months ago and the artists scoped out other cities, such as Boston, Denver and San Diego, for inspiration.
“The seal is very intricate,” Moses said. “We needed something a lot simpler, more progressive that represented Henderson today.”
The team worked on the logo intermittently as it was only one of several flagship projects.
“We all live here, we all have a vested interest,” Madsen said. “It’s kind of a labor of love.”
Moses, who noted that their project will be displayed for years to come, said all the work was worth it.
“I think any designer worth their salt wants their work to have a long life span,” he said.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickytwrites.
