Ark Valley News - School board selects new logo

The new Valley Center Hornet logo, which was approved by the school board April 13, will have a yellow outline when printed on purple and no outline when on yellow.

School board selects new logo
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: April 16, 2015

The Valley Center school district has a new Hornet logo, but it may be a while before it can be fully utilized.

The school board approved final versions of the logo on April 13. Now, the district must begin a trademark process that could take up to a year.

It's unclear when the new logo can be used, Superintendent Cory Gibson said.

The logo is purple and has a gold outline when on a purple background. Compared to the former logo, the new Hornet has decidedly sharper edges, with fierce eyes, antennae and stinger pointing forward and wings pointing back. On the wing in the foreground are the letters "VC."

Gibson said there have been opposing opinions about the new design.

He likened the reaction to differing opinions to the same restaurant. Some people like it; some don't.

"We could look at the logo and say we love it and we could look at the logo and say we hate it," Gibson said.

The district was forced to design a new image when Georgia Tech University officials said Valley Center's Hornet was too similar to the university's Yellowjacket.

Now that the new logo has been developed, Georgia Tech has softened, Gibson said, allowing the district at least four years to fully scrub itself of the old logo, including gym floors and walls.

The district had been pressured to have the old logo removed immediately, a expensive prospect.

Even with the new modified permit from Georgia Tech, no new products may be made with the old logo. The district already has banned its use in all communications, whether electronic or printed.

Gibson said a survey of residents showed that most people wanted the new logo to feature the colors of gold and purple.