Rolling Meadows rolls out rebranding, replaces seal once subject of atheist’s lawsuit

From business cards to signage, Rolling Meadows officials have begun to roll out new city branding in the new year, which formally means an end to the 1960s-era municipal seal that once was the subject of litigation brought by the late suburban atheist Rob Sherman.

The new square seal — which integrates the topography of waves and hills underneath “Rolling Meadows” and beside it 1955, the year of incorporation — replaces the circular four-quadrant design by then-eighth-grader Cheryl Knudsen, who submitted the art project for the city’s fifth anniversary in 1960.

One of the quadrants contained a cross and church until a federal court of appeals deemed it unconstitutional in 1991 following a lawsuit by Sherman, a noted activist from Buffalo Grove.

That quadrant remained blank until 1995 when the city council finally agreed to add the silhouette of a man, woman and child. A concrete depiction of the seal in front of city hall retained the blank quadrant for some time as a “statement of protest” against the court ruling, aldermen at the time decided.

Now, the concrete seal is being removed and replaced with landscaping, among a series of planned changes during the current rebranding effort.

In a statement, city officials said the new logo “is intended to respect Rolling Meadows’ past history and identity while representing the community’s future.”

The corporate seal — used to authenticate and validate official city documents such as ordinances, resolutions and licenses — was developed by consultant Selbert Perkins Design and comes with an associated marketing logo and tagline.

That means a drawing of a series of green and blue waves and hills — derided by officials as the “tombstone” logo — is officially dead. It’s been replaced with something branded by Selbert Perkins as “Natural Harmony,” a modern wavy interpretation of the old mark.

Also gone is the slogan “Progress Through Participation” in favor of “Together We Can.”

Formal city council consent agenda approval of the new seal last month follows earlier review of and support for the rebranding initiative during 2024.

Assistant City Manager Glen Cole said officials are implementing the new branding slowly, starting with previously-planned projects where the city incurs little or no cost to substitute the new brand.

Initial steps include creating document templates, replenishing stationery and business cards as needed, updating the website with fonts and graphics, replacing city flags, and installing signage in council chambers.

A new monument sign is expected to go up at one bridge over Route 53, with two more to come in 2026 and 2027.

Decals will be affixed when new city vehicles are purchased, and street signs gradually replaced starting with Kirchoff Road this year.

“This really brings together all of the different parts that we’ve presented to the community and the city council over the last year,” Cole said. “We’re excited to have this project complete. We’re excited to put it into practice.”