By Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
Botetourt County unveiled its new marketing logo last Tuesday during the January meeting of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors.
“This is not what I was expecting; it is better. It really stands out and makes a statement. I like it,” Billy Martin, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said.
Access, a Roanoke-based advertising agency, collaborated with the county on the design of the logo over a period of several months. The chief executive officer of the company attended the meeting and provided insight into the design process.
“The new logo incorporates a nickname for the county that has organically emerged in recent years, ‘BOCO.’ It also features the five-leaved flower, or cinquefoil, a component of the original Baron Botetourt seal. The cinquefoil is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family and is a time-honored symbol of hope and joy,” the county said in a press release.
The county also noted that the timing of the release of the “fresh” and “vibrant” new branding was intentionally timed to coincide with the Board of Supervisors first meeting of the new decade and the county’s 250th anniversary year. The previous logo was last updated in the early 2000s.
“This is an exciting time for the county, and we are thrilled about the future,” Gary Larrowe, Botetourt’s county administrator, said. “This logo proudly proclaims our heritage while expressing our excitement about what is to come. It speaks to all of those things in a unique and engaging way.”
Use of the logo by the county started immediately following the announcement, including use of business cards and the county website. However, the county’s seal will continue to be used for documents coming from the Board of Supervisors.
