APRIL FOOL: New city of Sarasota logo unveiled

There were months of heated debate and countless scrapped proposals followed by weeklong public protests after a design consultant suggested in January 2024 that Sarasota repurpose its 1902 city seal design for its new logo. 

But the dust has settled and the city of Sarasota, at last, has a new logo, ending efforts to update the logo that since the 1990s featured an image of the replica David statue that stands at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

“This was one of the most heated issues the commission has considered during my career. The emails were shocking on this,” said City Commissioner Jim Halpert. “Reversing the direction of the roundabouts last year was nothing compared to this.”

The city contracted with Studio Hexagon in February for a flat-rate project fee of $350,000 and tasked the famed firm with resolving the logo matter once and for all. The San Francisco design house has redesigned the logos of leading tech companies and Fortune 500 firms.

At Monday’s Sarasota City Commission meeting, representatives of Studio Hexagon unveiled the new logo, dubbed David 3.0.

“As you can see, rather than imbue the spirit of the replica statue that stands at the Ringling, we’ve incorporated inspiration from Michelangelo’s original work, which will help position Sarasota as a global city on par with a Milan or a Paris,” said Morgan Banksie, Studio Hexagon art director. “You’ll also note that more of the statue's pedestal is now visible, which we think emphasizes the elevation and refinement that defines the Sarasota arts experience.”

The City Commission approved the new logo design 5-0. It will appear on city communications and branding beginning April 1.