It’s a new year and a new look for Doña Ana County.
On March 25, Doña Ana County unveiled a new logo and seal after the Board of County Commissioners approved the designs on November 28, 2023.
Previously, the county seal served as both the seal and the logo. The seal depicted a Spanish conquistador, the Organ Mountains and the Rio Grande on a field of red with a setting yellow Zia symbol. The seal had been in place since 1958.
The new logo is the shape of the county’s geographic borders. It depicts the Organ Mountains and the Rio Grande against a field of blue. The new seal depicts a sunrise over the Organ Mountains and a flowing Rio Grande.
The conquistador, a symbol that other institutions in New Mexico have removed from their presences given the history of slaughter and forcible relocation the icon evokes, has been replaced with a roadrunner.
The new seal was selected as part of a contest in April 2023 and was submitted by a community member.
The seal is the formal symbol. It will be used for proclamations, resolutions, and other official county business. The logo is less formal and will be the main symbol with which Doña Ana County represents itself.
Anita Skipper, public information officer for the county, said the logo and seal redesign are part of a broader effort at the county.
“While it may appear to some that nothing has been done since the commission approved us to move forward with a particular logo at the Nov. 28 meeting, there has been quite a bit going on behind the scenes,” Skipper said, noting the county’s efforts to implement a new strategic plan in coming months.
Skipper said the change was meaningful for two reasons. She noted that the county’s iconography matters since its symbols stick in people’s minds. Skipper also said the public information office wanted to unify disparate logos and alterations across various county departments.
Skipper said the immediate cost of the change is about cost $139,000. The board provided the money from previous budgets. Replacing the seal on vehicles will be one of the largest costs, Skipper said, at about $53,000.
Skipper also responded indirectly to criticism. She said some people have questioned why the logo should be changed.
“Brands change their logos, modernize their logos all the time,” Skipper said. “Our community is growing and changing as well. We want to be able to market and offer communications that match where we’re going.”
The city of Las Cruces underwent a similar process last year.
“This marks an opportunity for change and sometimes reiteration as well as interpretation,” assistant county manager Jonathon Macias said. “It’s intended to be comprehensive.”
Macias went on to say that logo and seal implementation would take place over time, not all at once.
