WATSONVILLE — As part of the City of Watsonville’s celebration of its 150th anniversary, a Sesquicentennial Commemorative Logo was recently introduced. The logo has appeared in various spots around the city, including the Civic Plaza, marketing materials and in the form of a lapel pin.
Fortunately for city officials, the logo design was created in house by audio/visual communications technician, Suryel Vasquez.
“Tamara (Vides) asked me to come up with an idea for a commemorative logo,” Vasquez said, who has studied graphic design and websites. “I came up with a sketch of Main Street but it ended up being too busy.”
Vasquez, 26, said he boiled the elements of his sketch down to four iconic buildings in downtown Watsonville: St. Patrick’s Church, the Resetar Residential Hotel, the bandstand in Watsonville Plaza and the Lettunich Building.
Vasquez said he worked from photos of the buildings, and with the aid of the computer program, Adobe Illustrator, he came up with the rough design.
“I also wanted to put apples and strawberries in there,” he said.
A special sepia tone was also used to create an early day photograph look.
“I think the logo captures the essence of our historical Watsonville downtown area,” said Vides, assistant to the city manager. “We have had a very good response from members of the community saying they really like the logo. It feels like it represents Watsonville and its history. I love that not only buildings were captured in it, but also our crops and the mountains of our Pajaro Valley. I think it tells a story.”
Vasquez has also created and edited video that narrates the city’s history, as well as maintains an Instagram account and a website for the 150th anniversary.
“Suryel is a very talented young man,” Vides said. “We are so lucky to have him on our staff.”
A class of 2009 Pajaro Valley High School graduate, Vasquez said, “I was very happy with the end result. I like doing this kind of work; it’s really fun.”
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The public is invited to Watsonville’s 150th anniversary celebration on March 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Watsonville Plaza. The event will feature music, food, entertainment and a giant cake.
For information, visit watsonville150.org.
