By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
It’s a circle containing several images within it, and its creator says the simple design tells a far greater story about the Irving L. Young Memorial Library and the facility’s presence within a community with deep roots.
Earlier this year, library staff held a contest in an effort to feature a new logo. Library Director Stacey Lunsford said the call for submissions was well-received with a number of high-quality entries.
Lunsford said plans for a new logo got under way as library staff recognized changes in patrons’ needs. The Irving L. Young Memorial Library, she said, is entering a new frontier.
“We thought changing the logo would be a good idea at this point, and we wanted something different so we could create a brand around it,” Lunsford said.
After reviewing all submissions, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student Kristin Bates was selected as the winner.
Bates, a senior majoring in fine arts with an emphasis in graphic design, said she had a number of fond memories of the library, including visits with her elementary school class to pick out books. The experience, she said, ignited an interest in reading.
In her accompanying materials, Bates said there are a number of meanings within the logo she created.
“The circle represents how we are all connected to one another in life, and what we do has some sort of effect on each other,” Bates wrote. “The circle also related to renting items from the library, and how they are returned and used by others.”
While the core mission of the library – serving people of all age groups with reading materials – remains unchanged since its earliest days, the number of options available to people continues to grow exponentially with emerging technology.
Bates depicted some of the changes in her drawing.
“I have shown how the library provides bonding time with our children, or how the library helps one another to grow,” Bates wrote. “One of the persons is reading from a tablet to show new technology. But because technology changes so fast, it could also be read as a book.”
A final component of Bates’ logo depicts the area’s history and natural features.
“I added water through the circle to show the town of Whitewater,” Bates wrote. “We are named after a creek that carried white sediment.”
Bates said her goal upon graduation at UW-Whitewater is to illustrate children’s books in a number of forms of media.
The winning logo design has been featured on the library’s website. Susan Johnson, a library staffer overseeing the initiative, said other artistic works by Bates will be on display throughout the facility in February.
Bates’ winning design is in the process of being integrated into all materials associated with the Irving L. Young Memorial Library, including library cards, business cards, letterhead and future announcements.
