Schweitzer sticking by its logo

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SANDPOINT — Schweitzer is defending its new logo after receiving gales of criticism over the redesign.

The resort unveiled the new logo on its website last week, prompting a barrage of complaints and criticisms. Schweitzer said it tallied more than 1,500 comments on social media, in addition to emails and other messages.

Schweitzer CEO and President Tom Chasse posted a lengthy message on Facebook on Friday acknowledging the critiques and judgments customers have voiced over the redesign.

Chasse said the snowsports industry and outdoor recreation in general are pretty unique in that few, if any, other trades inspire the level of emotion, connection and sense of responsibility to speak out.

"And Schweitzer fans take that to another level. Our fans love Schweitzer. Hard. We get it," Chasse said in the 700-word post. "And it's a good thing."

Chasse doubts the cereal Raisin Bran would receive such voluminous feedback if it opted to redesign its logo.

Chasse said every decision Schweitzer makes — from the location of new chairlifts to glade cuts and new construction — generates an ample amount of opinions and thoughts on how it could have done something better. He also notes that Schweitzer's former snowflake logo and "mountain resort" tag, which debuted 15 years ago, elicited strong opinions.

The former logo was derided as resembling a starfish or a cat's rear end. Others argued that logo, its hue and the resort designation were too generic, Chasse pointed out. Moreover, the logo didn't have a connection to its place initially and had to be formed over time.

"Change is hard to accept, but it is also an inevitable part of life," Chasse said in the post.

Looking past the overtly negative range of comments, Chasse said the most prevalent theme was that the new logo too closely resembles a host of other logos, including ones for the Seattle Kraken hockey franchise, Suzuki, distiller Seagram's and the clothing brand Stüssy.

Chasse said there's only so many ways to render the letter "S" and Schweitzer was well into the design process when the Kraken logo emerged. The team's trademark was likely vetted just like Schweitzer's was.

"We took this as an opportunity to dig deeper and tighten the connection to our original 1963 logo," Chasse wrote, explaining that one of the primary goals was connecting with Schweitzer's past to help forge its future.

Chasse also addressed claims that Schweitzer was a sellout which betrayed its guiding principles.

"We are still one of the few independently owned resorts and plan to keep it that way," Chasse said, adding that the new logo connects more tightly to the vision Schweitzer's original founders and breaks rank with other resorts which still cling to the snowflake-inspired logos and lean on the color blue.

Chasse said Schweitzer's goal with making the its primary brand color green was to stand out from the crowd of ski resorts instead of blending in. The new color is also meant to emphasize that Schweitzer is a four-season destination for recreation rather than a one-trick pony.

"At the end of the day, the new logo isn't going anywhere. It's here to stay," Chasse said.

Keith Kinnaird can be reached at kkinnaird@bonnercountydailybee.com and followed on Twitter @KeithDailyBee.