At the May town council meeting a first reading was held to rebrand the town’s image.
One of the changes includes the town’s seal which was designed 43 years ago by a ten-year-old student attending Seven Oaks Elementary who had participated in a contest held by the town.
Gia Christian, a fifth-grade student in 1980, was encouraged by her mother to enter the contest that had schoolchildren competing to come up with a logo for the town.
The following is the original story that first ran in the Independent News of that year.
Town seal chosen
Ten year old Gia Christian, a student at Seven Oaks Elementary, has designed the winning entry in the Irmo Town Seal Contest.
Gia, the daughter of Ginger and Gary Christian who owned a local print shop, said her mother read about the competition in the Independent News. “I said sure I’ll be in it,” explained Gia.
Her entry, a circular configuration inlaid with a church, palmetto tree, locomotive and school bordered by the words ‘Founded 1890’ earned Gia a $50 award. The second place design winner, Kim Oakly, received $25.
Explaining her design Gia said, “The palmetto tree is the state tree of South Carolina. Irmo began as a place where trains stopped for water. The school represents the best school system in the state and the church is because there are so many churches along the street.” Gia described the award as fabulous.
The Independent News of Irmo congratulates Gia Christian.
Currently, Gia no longer lives in Irmo but when the New Irmo News reached out to her she still had plenty of good things to say about the town. “I’m still proud of growing up in Irmo and honored that the town has kept my design all these years,” said Gia. “That’s what community is all about, giving the opportunity to get things done locally and the creativity that’s available there instead of outsourcing it elsewhere.”
Gia felt that as a ten-year-old she looked at things more simplistic and that the seal represented what she felt was important at that time. She also did her research by looking at other town seals and said that helped. “My parents owned a print shop and I was always around designs and layouts,” said Gia.
Gia took her $50 earnings to a bank near the print shop and opened her first checking account with the guidance of her father.
The new logo assets designs were created by the firm Kickstand Studios at a discounted cost of ‘less than $5,000’ according to town officials. The assets offer different ideas that can be used in a multitude of promotional materials from pens to banners where a circular seal may not work as well. The original seal design only cost $50 and has lasted 43 years for about $1.16 per year.
Courtney Dennis, Irmo Town Administrator, commenting on the rebranding, “During that process, we realized that our brand mainly consisted of a seal and nothing much more. While working through the flag design process, we found a local business that was moving into Irmo and asked if they would assist us in the creativity process. Kickstand Studio opened its doors, and we began working with them and their creative team on ideas. We also spoke with some of our community partners and this idea started to really take off. Now, after months of creativity and conversations, we have landed on a brand that gives us the flexibility and different ways we can market and highlight all things in Irmo. From business cards, event signage, banners, digital logos, and other materials that contain our brand, we now have the flexibility to produce a fresh image that is representative of Irmo and a brand that is adaptive to different needs.
With the expanding interest in the Irmo area, having a fresh and consistent look gives our locals something to be proud of and gives a polish to a gem of the area.
Courtney Dennis, Irmo Town Administrator
Our new branding gives a refreshed look to our town seal and expands its usage by highlighting our color scheme and seal assets. The greens represent our green space and the steps we take to create a brighter, greener future. The tree is representative of the Heritage Tree located in our Town Park which we believe is roughly 130 years old and continues to provide a peaceful and relaxing shaded setting in our gorgeous park. Our preserved trees and beautiful tree canopy throughout our town has been recognized by others and allowed Irmo to be named a Tree City USA. The school is representative of the current Irmo Elementary School that has a long history in Irmo and served as Irmo High School in the mid 1930’s. The train is representative of our roots as a railroad watering depot that jumpstarted the formation of Irmo. Irmo is named after Mr. Iredell and Mr. Moseley who were two railroad officials when Irmo was incorporated. The church is representative of the historic churches in the Irmo area with some of them dating back to the 1850’s.
The expanded branding emphasizes our long history and provides a polished look to our beautiful town. Over the next few months, we will start rolling out our refreshed look on our digital platforms as we then shift to our printed materials.”
The updated images of the town’s refreshed seal are remarkably similar to the original but with a fresh coat of paint. The town is expecting the rebranding to give it a sleeker and more modern look.
