Colorado is the name of State in the western part of the USA, which was admitted to the union a hundred years after the creation of the United States (which makes it the 38th state), so it is also nicknamed “The Centennial State”. Colorado has a population of 5.5 million people and a state area of 270 square kilometers, which makes it the eighth largest in the USA. The state capital the largest city is Denver.
The state gets its name from the Colorado River, which flows through its territory. Its history began in the 16th century when Spanish explorers first landed in the area. The name of Colorado, like the names of several other states in the Western United States, came into English from Spanish. When the first Spanish explorers came to Colorado, the first thing they noticed was the red landscapes of this colorful state, hence they named it “Colorado”, which means “Red”.
In addition to amazing nature and beautiful colors, Colorado also has an unusual shape in the form of an even rectangle. There are only two geometrically perfect states in the United States — Colorado and Wyoming.
What is Colorado?
Colorado is the state in the southwest of the USA. It is surrounded by Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful states in the country. Colorado ranks eighth in the area with 22nd in the population (5,5 million people).
In terms of visual identity, like every other state of the USA, Colorado has its official flag, seal, and since 2013 — the official logo. The badge was redesigned in 2019, completely changing the mood and style, and enhancing the strongest features of the Centennial State.
The Colorado state flag is executed in a bright and deep white and blue color palette, with three wide horizontal stripes: two blue ones and a white one in the middle. Over the striped background, on its left part, the first letter in the state’s name, “C”, is set, inside the red letter, there is a solid yellow circle.
The yellow circle on the flag stands for a gold mine, while the blue stripes at the bottom and top of the flag represent the clear sky of the state, and the white center signifies the snowy peaks of the state’s Rocky Mountains.
The coat of arms of Colorado is executed in the same color palette, like the flag. It is a roundel in a thick red frame with a white uppercase lettering written around it in a serif typeface and accompanied by six solid blue five-pointed stars. The central part of the medallion is colored dark blue and has a blue, red, and yellow crest on it. The crest and symbols on it show a set of values that the state’s residents hold: God and Labour.
The first logo for Colorado state was designed in 2013 and stayed active for almost six years. Although after the redesign the concept and color palette of the badge changed dramatically, there is one thing that unites both versions — the triangular shapes, standing for mountains and lines of the state.
The incredible beauty of Colorado nature, its hills, cliffs, and forests, snow peaks of the mountains, and dunes, the impressive and intense colors, all these things served as inspiration for the logo design.
The initial Colorado logo, introduced in 2013, was executed in a green and white color palette without any additional color accents. The main element of the badge was a bold smooth triangle is solid green with a sharp white peak (standing for the Rocky Mountain), and two heavy sand-serif capitals “CO”, also in white. The uppercase “Colorado” inscription was set under the triangular image in the same shade of green. For the logotype, the designers have chosen a clean and modern sans-serif typeface, which is very similar to Ben Beckman Black, with a sharp “A”. Although the letters on the emblem were placed far from each other, adding air and lightness to all the massive elements in the badge.
The redesign of 2019 made the Colorado logo more colorful and complicated. The badge is now composed of a graphical emblem, with the “C” from the official flag of the state, and a dark green silhouette of a pine tree, and bold black lettering under it, executed in the same typeface as on the previous version, but with the letters slightly enlarged.
The new Colorado emblem boasts a heavy “C” in red, with a solid yellow circle inside, and a blue image, showing two mountain peaks, overlapping the letters, and changing its colors on the bottom part. This overlap creates light blue and green shades on the yellow circle, and purple with deep navy blue on the red “C”.
The new palette of the logo fully reflects the nature and beauty of the state, showing its diversity, and at the same time celebrating its history with the symbol, taken from the official flag, and symbolizing the gold mines of Colorado.