Launching a new brand presents some inherent risks – especially when you’re putting a new face on an old institution. Just ask the public relations team at the University of New Hampshire if you need proof.

With that knowledge in mind, the brain trust behind Nashua’s rebranding campaign cautiously pulled back the curtains last week on a new logo and slogan that will represent the Gate City.

Representatives from the city, the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce and MESH Interactive Agency, a local creative firm, were on hand Tuesday night to give residents their first glimpse of the city’s new image.

The result was a colorful, high-concept graphic to encapsulate the city’s selling points, as well as a tagline that throws down the gauntlet for prospective residents and businesses.

“Dare to Begin,” the new slogan, is intended to harken back to the pioneering spirit of the city’s early inhabitants and the potential for new growth in the future.

The tagline is paired with a circular logo resembling a rising sun. The center depicts Nashua’s two rivers wrapped into an infinity symbol, while a patch of green in the bottom calls to mind the state’s trees and hills.

Reactions have been pouring in since the branding elements debuted on NashuaTelegraph.com several days ago. Some have questioned the cost of the $110,000 endeavor, which was funded jointly by the city and the chamber. Others have praised the idea as forward-looking.

“I love that this logo is not just a symbol on a piece of paper,” Christine Haigler-Hugh wrote. “There is meaning behind each color and section. Meaning that each and every one of us living and working in the City of Nashua can relate to. Now that the logo and tagline have been made public, it’s up to the public to live up to the brand.”

Another thread of conversation centered on whether the blue shape in the middle really constitutes an infinity symbol, or whether it would be more properly classified as a Mobius strip.

Others have perceived similarities between Nashua’s new logo and marketing materials of the past, such as the “O”-shaped logo that embodied President Barack Obama during his re-election campaign.

Another observer saw a resemblance to Comfort Inn’s red-and-orange sunset symbol. That probably isn’t the direction Nashua’s branding gurus were taking, but who knows? If all else fails, the city could start offering a free buffet breakfast.

Share your thoughts about the city’s rebranding campaign online at NashuaTelegraph.com. Visit bit.ly/15QAK4v and leave your opinions in the comments section.

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