Tyler Mitchell is a talented artist who happens to live in Amarillo and, as of today, is now the acclaimed designer of City Hall’s official new logo.

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2014-01-21/beilue-citys-new-logo-going-down-history#comment-190624

The City Council unveiled the identity of the logo’s designer on Tuesday.

It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but it is.

You see, the city stubbed its toe more than a few times to get to this point.

It hired a local marketing firm to design the logo; the firm produced a design; the city rejected it; the city then accepted a design submitted by a city staffer; one problem emerged; the design was virtually identical to a logo already in use, by a company based in the United Arab Emirates.

The company said “no can do” on the logo. The city apologized for the mistake. It opened the competition up to locals. The newspaper got involved.

And then — presto! — Tyler Mitchell, a husband to Arrika and the father of two young sons emerged as the winning designer.

Where was he when this malarkey began?

I trust the city has learned a valuable lesson from this embarrassment.

My hunch is that the laughter is dying down and is being replaced by cheers … for Tyler Mitchell.

Amarillo City Council members — it’ll take time to get used to that title — have done the right thing by scrapping the controversial new city logo that has brought a lot of laughter aimed at City Hall.

The council — which has changed its name as a result of a city charter amendment approved by voters on Nov. 5 — dumped the logo and is now using the city’s official insignia instead.

The logo has become a source of controversy given that it is virtually identical to one used by a Dubai company. No word yet on whether it violates copyright laws.

Even if it doesn’t, the city ought to start over with a new approach.

You see, the logo in question has zero symbolic references to the things that made Amarillo a great city. At least the city insignia has a steer’s head and an oil derrick on it.

http://www.ci.amarillo.tx.us/

Oil and cattle helped build Amarillo from its founding. The logo at least ought to represent those vital components of the city’s vibrant history.

The now-shelved logo has none of that. I’m not even sure what it’s supposed to represent.

Amarillo is commemorating its centennial. Its history is rich in symbolism. Our past is supposed to be a prologue to our future, yes?

Start over, City Hall. Come up with a logo that is a fitting tribute to Amarillo’s first 100 years.