It may not become as familiar as the Golden Arches, but officials working on a new logo for Whidbey Island’s scenic byway are hoping to create a truly memorable logo.

It’s a tall order. The new logo must fit with the island’s postcard-perfect views; its wide open green spaces, lush forests and mountain backdrop that rises from the horizon across Puget Sound.

As part of a new Whidbey Scenic Byways project, informative road signs will be placed along the scenic byway of Highway 525 and State Route 20.

The plan is to have gateway monuments at the ferry terminal exits in Clinton and Keystone and at Deception Pass State Park on Route 20 and roadway signs every four to five miles identifying to drivers that they are on the Whidbey Scenic Isle Way.

The goal, Island County traffic planner Mike Morton said, is to show with a single logo what drivers can expect as they pass along the byway.

“We are trying to come up with an image that reflects the essence of what traveling the length of the island might be like. The ‘when you see it, you’ll know it’ kind of thing,” he said.

“It lets the traveling public know they are entering what we consider a very special highway.”

The Island County Public Works and its consultant, Otak Inc., are asking Whidbey artists of all types for ideas on the logo. The county also wants ideas for gateway designs for Clinton, Keystone and Deception Pass.

A sketch on a napkin, a quick call, or just a letter: Otak Inc. and the county aren’t picky about how artists offer their ideas.

Anyone in the community is welcome to submit suggestions.

“It could be from a poet, a teacher, anybody that would have an idea what that graphic image should look like,” he said.

Submissions will be taken through October.

Entries will be collected and categorized by Otak Inc., then the company will come up with about five different logo designs.

“What we will do is organize the submissions that we receive into categories and then distill everything into a meaning that we can absorb what it means,” said Mandi Roberts, principal associate, Otak Inc. “We are anticipating that there will be several things mentioned multiple times.”

The five logos will then be shared with the Scenic Byway Steering Committee.

“We’ll take a look at them and see which ones make sense,” Morton said.

“We will let them know how the input came in, what some of the most common perspectives and ideas were that were shared,” Roberts added. “Then we’ll get their input on what they would like to see with these ideas turned into a logo design.”

The logo project is being funded by a federal grant.

The contract is scheduled to be completed by late May 2008, Roberts said.

“Then, with any money left over, we hope to get into the construction of the gateways and installing the way-finding logos along the highways,” she said.

For more information on submitting ideas, call Mike Morton at 360-679-7331 or Cathy Ridley at Otak at 206-442-1357.