The City of Sparks has a new logo. Following a unanimous vote of the city’s council, Sparks will be represented by a swirling and sparking symbol.

The logo currently is colorless, with the city’s branding team now starting a discussion on what colors should represent the city.

“Before moving into color we wanted to get the shape approved,” said Sparks Brand Leadership Team chairman Paul Curtis. “Color can mean a lot.”

The next step for Sparks’ effort to rebrand itself will include developing a guide to dictate how the logo and eventual taglines will be used, according to Monday reports. The logo will eventually appear on city business cards, vehicles and marketing materials, according to reports prepared for the meeting.

In February 2009, the city unveiled the results of a $114,000 branding study. The city paid the money to Destination Development, Inc. to explore Sparks from an outsider’s perspective and come up with suggestions for boosting the city’s ability to attract visitors and retain residents. DDI’s suggestion was to brand the city as the place where “something is always happening,” or “It’s happening here.” DDI’s original suggestion to rename local sites, such as the Sparks Marina to “Celebration Lake” and Victorian Square to “Festival Place” were rejected.

Sparks’ new logo is the result of about 12 months of studies. It is also the result of survey answers garnered from 5,806 people. According to city reports, the survey was sent to more than 104,000 names pulled from the Sparks Chamber of Commerce, John Ascuaga’s Nugget and city of Sparks mailing lists. City staff also hit the streets, asking people at the Legends at Sparks Marina and shoppers on California Avenue in Reno what they thought of the design.

About 90 percent of those surveyed said they agreed with the logo design approved Monday in contrast to a different logo.

The logo was approved by the city’s tourism and marketing committee on Nov. 18.