Niagara 1812 Legacy Council announces logo contest

by Terry Duffy
Tribune, Dispatch, Sentinel, December 21-23, 2006

Niagara 1812 Legacy Council members and Fort Niagara officials are shown with the Fort’s guards outside the Visitor’s Center. (photo by Ric Berg)

Members of the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council met at the Visitor’s Center at Old Fort Niagara this past week to mark a significant moment in the Fort’s history and to announce a new venture that is open to residents on both sides of the border to participate in.

Doug DeCroix, director of Research Projects at Fort Niagara, spoke of the “indelible impression” the War of 1812 left on both the U.S. and Canada, and particularly the Niagara region, where the majority of the fighting took place. “The War of 1812 was a defining event for the U.S. and Canada,” said DeCroix. He pointed out that this past Tuesday stood out as a significant anniversary in the Fort’s history – when British troops stormed the Fort as the War of 1812 raged on between the U.S. and Great Britain.

In recognizing the historical significance the War of 1812 brings not only to the U.S. and Canada, but to the Buffalo and the Niagara region in particular, Jim Hill of Niagara Parks in Niagara Falls, Ontario, along with Fort Niagara members who comprise the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council, reported on the groups’ new logo contest endeavor. The Council is now enlisting the creativeness of artisans from both sides of the border for development of an icon that, “represents both the goals of the Council and the desires of the public” in commemorating the War of 1812, its heritage and its growth as a significant historical event throughout the years. The war will mark the 200th anniversary of its beginning in 2012. “It’s an opportunity for people to get involved.” Hill said.

Legacy Council member Dr. Percy Adams said participation in the logo contest is open to both U.S. and Canadian residents, art professionals as well as amateurs or students. The winning logo will become property of the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council, and will become its trademark, to be used on all Legacy Council communications – business cards; letterheads; in print and digital media; signage; emblems; documents; monuments; building displays; Web sites; and on related products. The winning entry of the logo competition would be awarded with long-term recognition for the art and will receive a cash prize of $1,812.

Logo criteria includes the following:

•A design that is both dynamic and distinguished and which can readily be employed on the aforementioned Legacy Council communications.

•All logo designs will need to be submitted in “camera ready” copy, in horizontal/landscape orientation, suitable for immediate use, and will need to include a digital graphic file in a PDF format.

•The contact information for logo entrants will need to be placed in a plain, unmarked and sealed envelope, affixed to the back of the artwork entry.

•The logo design competition will close on Monday, Feb. 1, 2007, at 4:30 p.m. Late entries will not be accepted. All entries must be either mailed or hand-delivered to: Old Fort Niagara, P.O. Box 169, Youngstown, NY, 14174-0169, or Niagara Parks, 7400 Portage Road, Niagara Falls, ON, L2E 6T2.

After the Feb. 1 deadline, representatives from both Erie and Niagara counties, as well the Niagara Region in southern Ontario with expertise and interest in the fine arts, will be selected by the Legacy Council to serve as jurors. The jurors will be charged with evaluating all submitted entries and refer three submissions that best embrace the War of 1812 Bicentennial concept to a Legacy Council-designated committee for final selection.

Following that, members of the Legacy Council will view the entries referred by jurors and vote on each entry. The entry receiving the most votes from committee members will be the winner.

For further information on the contest, call 1-905-356-2241, or visit the Legacy Council Web site at www.visit1812.com.