With a hint of spring in the air, everyone wants to get a make-over, including the city of Ames.

A new logo for the city was recently unveiled. It will start popping up around the community as early as March, said Claire Bills, city spokeswoman.

The logo, a letter “A” set against a backdrop of a forest green diamond, reflects stability in the city government and is a continuance of the diamond-patterned motif in City Hall, Bills said.

The slogan, “Caring People, Quality Programs, Exceptional Services,” is part of the newly written mission statement. The old red, white and blue logo was created in 1983, when Ames was chosen as an All-American City.

When the city formed focus groups to guide the writing of a new mission statement for Ames, the idea for a new logo surfaced. After getting a less-than-enthusiastic response to a design-a-logo contest, a team of the “most creative people in the city” was formed, Bills said.

After three or four months of critiquing and reworking designs, the committee chose a logo created by Shelley Countryman, display artist at the Ames Public Library. Countryman is an Iowa State graduate with a degree in journalism. Besides her job at the library, she also runs her own graphic design business called Inspirations.

“We want to symbolize breaking out of boundaries and thinking creatively,” Bills said.

Countryman was pleased to have her idea chosen out of the many proposed logos. “It will be so exciting to see it displayed all over the city,” she said.

Beginning in March, Ames residents can look to their utility statements to catch a glimpse of the new design. The logo will appear on other publications and on city vehicles by April.