Torrance will keep its current logo — despite a month-long contest that drew close to 100 entries from community members.
The city received 98 submissions to replace its identifying symbol in March. The contenders’ backgrounds ranged from professional artists to middle school students, and their designs varied from elegant to casual, and even whimsical. There were a few that appeared to have been submitted for jest. Twelve people wrote to ask the city to keep its existing logo.
And at the end, that opinion prevailed, as the City Council voted unanimously this week’s meeting to keep the existing logo, which they felt represents Torrance well.
The current logo says “A Balanced City,” and also has the words, “Industrial, Residential, Commercial.” The logo features a map showing the location of the city.
“There are some really creative people in town,” said Councilmember Aurelio Mattucci. “But you know, having said that, none of them really stood out and invited me in, saying, ‘Hey, that’s our next look.’”
Councilmember Sharon Kalani agreed.
“I feel like our current logo represents our city really well,” she said during the Tuesday, May 8, council meeting. “I look at it as being the center, or core of all of the South Bay. We are the largest in the South Bay. We are the core. We supply all the major services that everyone uses, the ports with fuel, the airport with fuel. We are a balanced city. So I like our current logo.”
Torrance has had four logos since incorporating in 1921. Its current one was created by former Torrance Mayor Albert Isen in 1967; it underwent a slight modification in July 1984, according to a staff report.
The idea to replace the existing logo was first brought up during a Nov. 8 City Council meeting by Councilmember Jon Kaji, who suggested Torrance hold a logo contest to encourage public participation on the issue, said spokesperson Michael Smith.
“The logo would accompany the city’s redesign efforts centered around the Torrance arches,” Kaji said at the time, “and other physical locations around our city,”
Participants had a month to submit their entries. Their submission was judged on their visual appeal, adherence to the concept, quality of design, and ease of reproduction, according to the guideline of the competition.
They were required to use the myTorranceCA mobile app branding as a basis. The app logo is an inhouse design featuring the arches of the Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge, a historic double-tracked arch bridge located in Torrance, Smith said.
