Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct name and position of the town staff member that presented the information at the meeting.

The town of Fraser hired Slate Communications, a communications agency out of Fort Collins, to assist in the rebranding process. Ryan Burke, one of Slate’s founders, presented the three designs to the board.

Option A is a modern take on the current logo. Burke explained the letter F forms the large orange mountain central in the logo. It includes an abstract image of Byers Peak at the top of the F and the Fraser River towards the bottom. Additionally, the two white gaps in the F symbolize tight-knit homes, representing Fraser’s tight-knit community.

Option B takes inspiration from an outdoor gear brand logo, and again includes imagery of Byers Peak and the Fraser River, with the dark blue wave-like shape at the bottom of the logo. The orange and yellow colors come from Fraser’s alpenglow and uniquely stunning sunsets.

“The circular nature of the logo brings a more approachable flavor to the brand,” Burke said.

Like others, Option C includes abstract imagery of Byers Peak, the Fraser River, and the letter F. Option C is unique in that it includes an image of a Mondrian painting, representing Fraser’s burgeoning arts scene.

According to Sarah Wieck, Fraser’s marketing and communications manager, the town decided to rebrand for a few reasons. The current logo is overly decorative and doesn’t have strong enough color contrasts to be readable for the visually challenged.

Wieck said the current logo does not reflect Fraser, as they continue to attract new businesses and instigate economic revitalization. A new, more modern, and more professional logo will better suit the town, as it grows and transforms.

Slate Communications did interviews with the Board of Trustees and other community members to get a sense of what Fraser is like.

Slate found that people are drawn to Fraser by the natural beauty of the area and access to outdoor recreation. Fraser residents see themselves as an authentic, down-to-earth community, with a particular focus on arts and culture.

From conversations with the Board of Trustees, Slate learned the Town of Fraser wants to brand itself as an organization that is approachable, friendly and communicative.

With this in mind, Slate Communications and two local artists created 12 new logo options, and Slate presented those options to a brand committee.

The brand committee included Trustees Brian Cerkvenik and Parnell Quinn, as well as Scott Ledin representing the Fraser Valley Recreation District, Meara McQuain representing the Headwaters Trail Alliance, Greg Bechler representing Byson Real Estate Company, Steve Fitzgerald representing Fraser Valley Arts and Ryan Wilson representing KFFR.

The committee chose their three favorites, which Slate Communications sent out using a community survey.

Option A received 105 votes, option B received 86 votes, and option C received 64 votes.

Burke explained that Slate sent the survey to people around Grand County, not exclusively to Fraser residents.

Burke said 11% of respondents said they would rather keep the current logo, but that was not actually an option in the survey. Roughly, 27 people voted for one of the options but then left a comment saying they would prefer Fraser maintain their current logo.

A post on the town’s Facebook Page about the new potential logos spurred strong criticism with many saying that Fraser should not change their logo. Burke said he went through the comments on the posts and many are from people not in Fraser, Grand County, or even Colorado.

Members of the Board voiced their opinions on the logo options. Trustee Katie Soles critiqued the color scheme.

“These aren’t colors in nature. These aren’t the colors I see when I’m out planting flowers,” Soles said.

Trustee Kaydee Fisher said she prefers the original logo, saying all three potential replacements have a corporate feel.

Slate Communication plans to return the drawing board. Burke said they plan to create a logo that depicts Byers Peak and the Fraser River more literally and includes more blues, purples, and greens rather than the reds, oranges, and yellows used in the three proposed options.

In addition to the new logo Slate plans to design, Slate will present all 12 proposed new logos to the Board of Trustees and attempt to build consensus on a new logo for the town. Burke said they won’t send out another community survey to avoid survey fatigue.