Grim reaping the Wheat Sheaf - new Saskatchewan logo
Since I ranted way back when about the illegible new City of Regina logo I thought the plan to get rid of the provincial wheat sheaf by next year is worth a fart from my pulpit. What does everyone think?
It looks like this: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y24...atchewan-1.gif From this week's Leader-Post: Quote:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y24...atchewan-2.gif which is actually pretty classy - you get that sense of stability and official-ness you expect from a government - but not clearly and obviously "Saskatchewan" as the wheat sheaf. All that stuff about "agriculture is such a minor part of the economy, it makes us look like hick redneck country bumpkins, we have to get rid of the wheat sheaf" makes no sense - it's like saying the maple tree is such a minor part of Canadian flora, better dump the maple leaf too. I wrote a Letter to the Editor that probably won't get published (the L-P's lead editorial was thumbs down to the sheaf), so I'll post it here: Quote:
Thoughts? |
I find it odd that the same people that criticised the million dollar exclamation mark are now going through the motions of spending far more to change the logo for the sake of change, especially when the province is apparently in dire financial condition. Dropping the wheat sheaf for the coat of arms, which I really happen to like, is not a bad thing, but a new logo to replace the wheat sheaf is. Maybe they could change the coat of arms to have the beaver holding a bad poker hand, the deer covered in oil and dying, and the lion humping the shield.
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Will be interesting to see what they come up with......although I agree it's rather pointless. I happen to like the Sheaf. Looks like they just want to seperate themselves from the NDP....can't even imagine how much it will cost for new signs and all the other places that the logo appears. |
Nicely done governorgeneral, you make a strong argument for keeping the wheat sheaf logo reflecting "thirty years of trust, common meaning and shared memory."
I've been thinking about a new logo to represent Saskatchewan, the government has said they would like to put a more modern spin on it, which does not necessarily mean axing the sheaf. Modern eh? New colors, or perhaps a new pattern? :shrug: A modern logo to represent Saskatchewan, what should it look like? I'm thinking Saskatchewan has has place on the world stage, but if there were a live performance, what role would Saskatchewan play? Random thoughts: Land of the Living Skies, Wheat Sheaf, Bread Basket of Canada, Resources, Oil, Gas, Uranium, Diamonds, Potash, Synchrotron, Canadian Light Source, Vastness, Welcoming, Accepting, Contrasting, Untouched, Natural, Hot, Cold, Meaning, History, Next to Alberta......thats the current view, but what about the future? More musings and an idea for a more modern logo: What role might Saskatchewan play, or how might it contribute to the world for the next 30 years? (last update for logo was 70's)....I keep coming back to Agriculture for some reason and subsequently the Wheat Sheaf, but how has Saskatchewan changed since the 1970's? Has wheat, sheaves, farming, agricultural production changed in Saskatchewan? How? Through technology we achieve greater efficiency....hmmmm, a modern wheat sheaf is genetically engineered is it not? And harvested with GPS navigated combines, and shipped through road, rail, and sea transport networks to countries around the world....Take a globe and stamp a wheat sheaf on it, theres your new logo :haha: I've got nothing else, we should explore other jurisdictional logos (Canadian and International), that could take some time. I don't mind the logo as is, there are more pressing concepts and ideas to discuss and develop, none of which include redesigning a logo which still reflects the growth of the province and vitality of its people, unless we wish to incorporate a greater emphasis on the technological side of growth and vitality, then we should add that somehow....I'm no design expert, so don't expect any fancy conceptuals of a modern technological wheat sheaf....end of thoughts. |
As someone who currently works for the government, I can testify how frustrating and time consuming this logo change has been.
A few weeks ago, we got an inter-office memo telling us to take the sheaf out of all documents and permits, and replace it with the coat of arms. After a couple weeks of going through all the memo templates, permits, and manuals changing the logo, now I find out that they're going to come up with a new one in January! We've also been spending quite a bit of time going through every document and replacing the word "Department" with "Ministry", since our name was changed as well what a waste of time and money.. But I guess it is a government job But on the other hand, I do like the idea of modernizing the logo. I think as a province, we need to convey that we have more to offer than wheat fields. Personally, as you can probably tell from my avatar, I like the coat of arms, and I think we should just leave it as that. |
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The brains behind this change have got it backwards: the logo doesn't define us; /we/ define the logo. Whatever Saskatchewan "is about" or "has to offer", comes out in what we do and how we do it, not the logo that comes attached to the press releases that talk about it. What a good logo needs to do is be easy to read, versatile and flexible to use on different media, representative of the people (not literally, but abstractedly) and distinct. The current wheat sheaf is all of these. When such symbols of government and the people are so effective and reflective of our heritage, they're too, well, sacred to be changed at the whim of "style" or "trends". (All the reasons why the scribbled "Regina" logo needs to go, by the way.) Like I said, Saskatchewan will be hard-pressed to come up with something better than what it's already got. But if it just changes to use the coat of arms, I'd be happy. Anyway, for any supporters, check out the facebook group: "Keep Saskatchewan's Wheat Sheaf Emblem!" |
Good to see the new government has found ways to create jobs for all the sask party lackeys. Maybe next we can change the provincial flag or emblems.
Waste of f**king time and money. |
When I look at it, I think of South Australia??
I don't know why. |
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Good points from Brand Canada Blog
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Apparently the government has now abandoned all plans to change the logo. We're going back to the sheaf.
I guess enough people didn't like the idea. Thats the word on the grape vine |
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WHEAT SHEAF LOGO TO BE RETAINED
New Saskatchewan Party Government Listens to Public Deputy Premier Ken Krawetz today announced that the government has decided not to replace the government's wheat sheaf logo at this time. Last week, Krawetz indicated the government was considering a process to update the 30 year old logo. "This idea generated a lot of feedback and discussion throughout the province," Krawetz said. "Some people like the idea. Some, however, do not." "The updating of the sheaf was never going to be a priority of the new Saskatchewan Party government. But, to the extent that there was a public perception that modernizing the wheat sheaf was going to be a distraction from our priorities, we are setting the record straight." Krawetz said for those who oppose changing, it's really not a matter of whether or not they like the wheat sheaf logo. It was a question of priorities. Krawetz added that while there is always a cost to re-organizing the government after a change of government, the goal will be to keep that cost to a minimum. -30- |
Well a new era of flipflopping begins. Just have to wonder for how long.
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Well, on the bright side, at least they actually listened to the public.
The NDP decided to ignore the critics and spend $1-million changing this: Saskatchewan to this: Saskatchewan! How they spent a Million dollars to add an exclamation mark and italicize the font is still beyond me.. |
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Yay! [happy dance]
As that blog I quoted said, if/when the Sask Party actually does make Saskatchewan any different or improved (ie, a new "product"), the public /may/ be more receptive to a logo change then (ie, to show off the new "brand"). But if other governments with much more experience and history behind them (eg Canada, Quebec) are any lead, Saskatchewan will keep the Wheat Sheaf. |
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How did you get a straight copy of the PR? |
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I actually think this may help re-brand Saskatchewan, from its image of being unfriendly.. to being business friendly. I am sure the new government will work hard to market the province as the "New" Saskatchewan. The old NDP/Sask image just doesn't cut it in todays economy.
I know next month ther premier will be making his rounds in Calgary promoting itself to the big oil companies. He has already pointed out how he intends to attract much more oil investments ... and I believe this is only the start of much more business marketing. I guess we will have to see how sucessful he is, but I think Saskatchewan is in a good place, with a strong leader. |
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