Proposed Seals
Our Process
The Natick Town Seal Review committee was established by Town Meeting in the Fall of 2020 with a charge to develop a new town seal and bring a design back to Town Meeting for its approval. The Town Seal is essentially an embossed image used for official documents, but in practice the seal is currently used as a Town logo on signs, uniforms and elsewhere.
The committee conducted a community-wide town seal survey to better understand what you want to see, or don’t want to see in the next Town Seal. Thank you if you were among the 750 people who participated.
We also interviewed Natick Nipmuc individuals, and learned from historians, art historians, designers, Natick residents, town employees, and public officials engaged in town and city seal review processes in other communities. This has been very helpful to our work.
We received funding from Town Meeting for design services, and in the fall of 2022, we hired graphic designer Sebastian Ebarb, who has had the opportunity to learn from the committee and our research. Drawing on our research and his own artistic process, Sebastian has now put forward three designs that we are excited to share with the community. Please note that designs are still subject to minor changes.
Thank you to the 300+ people who provided online feedback and the 50+ who attended the Town Seal Open House on February 5. With the help of all who participated, we expect to narrow down our choices and propose one design to Town Meeting for consideration and a final vote in April 2023. This public process will include a public hearing with the Natick Finance Committee prior to Town Meeting.
Explanation of Designs
Natick Town Seal Design Preview.mp4
Design A
Design B
Design C
Design A
This design looks to the beauty and natural wonder of Natick. It captures the sense of freedom of the town's natural resources. The undulating hills and water at the bottom of the inner circle give a clear picture of Natick's scenery, including the Charles River and its many other bodies of water, and the hills of Broadmoor, Walnut, Pegan and Coolidge hills. The bird taking flight can be read as a variety of different species. The slightly more abstract nature of the seal lends itself to a large variety of interpretations.
Design B
In this design Natick looks at where it came from and where it would like to go. The exquisite beauty of Natick's natural scenery speaks to both continuity and change. Here we see leaves of trees - sassafras, birch, maple, and oak, that were extremely important to all inhabitants of Natick. Native deciduous trees harken back to the ever-changing nature of the land, and yet at the same time show the land's permanence. This motif allows Natick to always remember its history but also recognize that there is always new growth moving it forward.
Design C
People who have lived in this area over time have long maintained a bridge over the Charles River. One of the first known written descriptions of the area, highlights one bridge, constructed of stone and wood that withstood ice flows. That bridge was built by the Indigenous people who came together to establish Natick as a mission community in 1651.
Bridges connect communities and make them stronger. It shows the enduring nature of community and ties together centuries of Natick history. The water is a force that continues to move this community forward ebbing and flowing but always moving towards a better future.
