CONTEST: CREATE NEW GOVERNMENT SEAL FOR MONROE COUNTY
Monroe County is holding a public contest to update its government seal, which is used on county buildings, official county documents, vehicular decals and the county flag.
All artists, graphic designers and creative people are welcome to participate. If a design is chosen to become the new seal, the winner will receive $500, and the prestige of having the design memorialized around the county and beyond.
The seal was last revised in 1995, to correct the year that the Florida State legislature created Monroe County. The date is July 2, 1823, but the seal had the year incorrect, at 1824.
The new seal should:
- Make the connection that Monroe County is the Florida Keys, either by wording or containing a map of the island chain.
- Boldly show the words Monroe County, which should be legible regardless of scale.
- Represent government and the island geography.
- Be dignified.
Entries also can include tweaking the current seal, to more boldly show the words Monroe County and make the connection that Monroe County is the Florida Keys.
Send all entries to Cammy Clark either by email at [email protected] or by mail at the Murray Government Center, 102050 Overseas Highway, Key Largo, FL 33037. The deadline for submission is Feb. 26.
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Graphic design contests are a sham and hurt the creative industry. Monroe County and our commissioners should be ashamed. Asking dozens of professionals spend their free time for the slim hope their design for a government logo might be picked and win a measly $500 should be a slap in the face of all professionals. We wouldn’t ask for a Doctor to enter a contest to fix a broken arm, or ask a paving company the same to win a contract to widen the Overseas Highway, so why disparage the graphics profession by having them do free work and call it a contest? I promise not one of you on the County Commission would agree to doing free work in your day to day businesses either. Do the right thing and pay a professional graphics artist the next time you think a contest is fair.
I agree with Scott Kerr. I know and have worked with many graphic designers. I have great respect all of the hard work they do and the training and learning they continuously engage in to stay in business and to remain relevant. Graphic designers, much like architects, or any other designer including hairdressers, interior designers, fashion and web designers are all lifelong professionals who deserve respect for work done well.
Please don\’t diminish the graphic design industry by holding this contest. While I haven\’t done a business survey, I\’m willing to bet there must be some Monroe County taxpaying graphic designers. Wouldn\’t hiring a local graphic design studio to create our county emblem be a nice way to utilize our tax funds? Every time I put a that big fat check in the mail and see the emblem, it would put a smile on my face knowing some of my hard-earned money was going toward a creative industry.
If county funds are tight and you need a way to stoke the coffers, I have an idea. Why not initiate a mandatory program (a requirement to do business in the county) for all Monroe County building contractors and independent trades persons which would, when completed and paid for, teach them how to properly run their businesses? As part of this certification, they could learn basic skills like how to return calls and emails, send out bids and invoices in a timely fashion and learn why they should bother to close out permits so that new homeowners won\’t be stuck tracking them down for work they were paid for 10 years ago by the previous homeowner. Just a thought.