A barrage of images come to mind when thinking about symbols that represent Snoqualmie: The Northwest Railway Museum; the train depot; the scenic views. But arguably, the most prominent and unique image associated with the city of Snoqualmie is Snoqualmie Falls.

At least, that’s what Snoqualmie City Council members agreed upon when they voted Aug. 14 in favor of changing Snoqualmie’s official city logo from a collection of the many images listed above to one clear, contemporary depiction of Snoqualmie Falls.

Already on the six newly-installed way-finding signs, the logo will gradually appear in an official capacity, said City Councilmember Maria Henriksen. The next step is for the City Council to approve an official style guide for how the logo should look and be used officially.

“The Falls is the main icon of Snoqualmie and in a logo, you want to focus on something that is very unique and special about your community,” Henriksen aid. Snoqualmie Falls receives about 1.5 million visitors annually, making it the most popular tourist attraction for the city; the second most popular attraction in the state behind Mount Rainier.

“It just couldn’t have been more obvious as to what Snoqualmie’s icon is,” she added. “A visual graphic, a logo, can sometimes speak more than words in the name of a city.”

The new logo proposal came from the economic development plan created by Roger Brooks of Destination Development that the City Council approved this spring to revitalize the city.

As a part of the plan, Brooks commissioned graphic designers to design the logo.

“It’s a major push for the city,” Henriksen said. “We needed to simplify the logo in order to make it more effective.”

A good logo should be one that is clear and visible at various sizes and distances and in many forms of media, Henriksen said.

“From a business card to a gateway signage, there’s really a science and an art to developing a good logo,” Henriksen said.

The city has used its old logo for at least 15 years, said former City Councilmember Colleen Johnson, who was on the City Council at the time that logo was selected.

“I liked it because it had the railroad and I liked it because it had the Falls,” Johnson said, adding that the logo it replaced was a scenic landscape.

Johnson said she likes the new logo.

“I’ve always been open to looking to something that’s going to make a difference somehow and I think that’s what they’ve [the current City Council] got in mind,” she said.

Henriksen also noted that another goal is to help visitors to associate Snoqualmie Falls with the city of Snoqualmie.

“It also helps people understand that the city of Snoqualmie is at Snoqualmie Falls and not at Snoqualmie Pass,” she said.

The City Council sought public and staff input in selecting the new logo image over the course of the Brooks plan, starting about a year-and-a-half ago.

The way-finding signs and new logo are just a few of the many changes that Snoqualmie will experience as the City Council begins implementing ideas from the economic development plan.