Winning logo, tagline for Naperville Smart Grid Initiative announced
Following a successful contest for aspiring artists and designers to create the smart grid initiative logo, Mayor A. George Pradel enthusiastically announced the winners and unveiled the new design at the Jan. 18 city council meeting.
Council members selected Naperville resident Jim Paradowski's logo that features the letter N with a plug at one end and a leaf at the other, as the symbol for this forward-thinking project. The smart grid initiative is an investment in Naperville's city-owned utility to modernize the electric grid using digital technology to increase reliability, reduce operating costs, improve efficiency and reduce waste.
In a unique twist, the tagline “Plug Into Choice,” submitted by Naperville resident Dave Johnson as part of his contest entry, was so admired by city staff that the winning logo now blends the two creations together.
“The city couldn't be more pleased with this design,” Director of Public Utilities-Electric Mark Curran said. “All of the submissions showed creativity and a high level of understanding of this project. I am especially excited that we are able to announce two winners and merge their ideas. Mr. Paradowski's logo visually showcases the environmental benefits of the smart grid initiative, while Mr. Johnson's tagline reminds us that this project will give utility customers more choices about how they use electricity and more control over what they pay for it.”
City staff will work with Paradowski to create various design formats of the logo that are usable in multiple mediums. Council members selected the winning logo from 10 contest finalists chosen by online voting.
More than 2,000 online votes were cast in early December to narrow down the more than 100 logo submissions, including those from Neuqua Valley and Naperville North students. All logos remain available to view at www.naperville.il.us/smartgridlogocontest.aspx.
For more information on the Naperville Smart Grid Initiative, visit www.naperville.il.us/smartgrid.aspx. Sign up to receive the latest news on the Naperville Smart Grid Initiative via e-mail at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx. For more information on the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us.