17th Street Farmers Market: We have a new logo!

As renovations at the 17th Street Market begin this summer, we worked with Red Orange Design Studio (our Shockoe Bottom neighbor) to update the Market logo and color palette.

We are pleased to announce the evolution of 17th Street Farmers Market’s logo as we enter into the latest chapter of this important space’s exciting history. Here’s an insight into what the new logo and colors mean to us as we look forward to the new 17th Street Market, opening Spring 2018!

Original logo:

The new logo:

As the Market is transformed into an open public square, the logo has evolved to reflect the modern relevance of a downtown community space, while embracing its long standing tractor image. We hope you’ll find that the new logo reflects the excitement, hope, and hard work that has gone into the reimagining of the Market.

Variations on the logo:

What the color palette means to us: 

Green + Yellow: The primary green and yellow colors recall the colors of the former tractor logo, paying respect to the past incarnations of the Market. Green and yellow are also frequently associated with farming and working outside. With these we honor our Market’s history as the meeting point of our State’s agrarian and urban communities.

Forest: Reminiscent of the James River on a bright summer day when still waters reflect the tree canopy above, this dark green accent color highlights the adult trees being planted in the market. The mature Market oaks will provide beauty and shade for visitors and play an important role helping with drainage and rain water management underground. The 17th Street Market’s location along the James River watershed has made it a historic gatekeeper of commerce. Now, it will also serve to protect the river’s natural resources through renovations that include increased storm water mitigation and environmental protections.

Carrot + Tomato: Deep but bright, the orange and red colors represent fruit, vegetables, and flowers at their most flavorful and vibrant. The 17th Street Farmers Market operated as a fully functioning municipal “public market” beginning in 1779 when the Virginia General Assembly moved to Richmond and has hosted vendors continuously to this day. Family farms made their way to Richmond to sell their produce along the main road from Williamsburg to Richmond (now Main Street). Dusty tow paths along Kanawha Canal also helped producers haul their wares by boat to market, avoiding the James River rapids. We look forward to the return of a lively Farmers Market where our neighbors can connect the food they eat with land and hands that produce it.

Hay: Hay brown is the color of Virginia’s freshly tilled fields and their harvested grain. The fields supported the pork, cattle, chicken, and other livestock brought to the butcher shops on the Market. Their hides became trunks and valises sold in luggage shops in Shockoe Bottom. Virginia grain transitioned to loaves in the bakeries that sprung up around the Market, including at 17^th Street’s still standing Weiman’s Bakery and the Virginia Bakery in Manchester. Hay also serves as an important remembrance of the enslaved Africans who worked Virginia’s fields. Acknowledging the neighborhood’s central role in the slave trade is critical as the City evolves the Market’s role in the future of our community.

Sky:  A reflective blue color represents the Market’s future as an “open air” gathering place, as well as the importance of the waters surrounding the site. The waterways around the Market made it a key public gathering place even before a colonial market began in 1737. The Market site –  located beside Shockoe Creek and in close proximity to the James River – first served as a trading post for the region’s Powhatan tribe. The Market’s role as a crossroads for producers of all kinds still continues and the streets around 17^th Street Market bustle with artisan retailers, businesses and outdoor dining from our neighboring restaurants. The sky is the limit for the future of the Market and our Shockoe Bottom neighborhood.

The 17th Street Market logo’s evolution was designed to honor its history and its future as a green centerpiece for our Shockoe Bottom neighbors and all of Richmond. Come, bring your family, meet your neighbors, sit in the shade, splash in the fountain, and enjoy a robust farmers market. The new 17th Street Market invites you to come back to Richmond’s start to be part of its future!