Ramona 14-year-old is winner of Nuevo Memory Gardens logo contest

After looking over 17 entries for a logo contest, officials at Nuevo Memory Gardens cemetery chose the artwork submitted by Juliana Quiroz, 14, a freshman at Ramona High School. 

The winning art — a simple outline drawing in blue of a flying white dove with an olive branch in its beak and the words Nuevo Memory Gardens underneath — was announced at the Ramona Cemetery District’s Nov. 11 board meeting, said Patty Estrada, district manager.

The three board trustees — President Casey Lynch, Joe Stupar and Pete Smith — examined each entry and picked their top three choices. From there, they chose the Juliana’s design, which is done on a white background.

“Out of all the entries, the dove was the only one we each selected in our top three,” said Lynch.

The contest was judged blind, meaning the trustees were unaware of each artist’s identity when they made their decisions.

The main criteria for the logo was that it be appropriate for a cemetery, Lynch said.

 “We all agreed that the symbolism of the dove was appropriate,” he said.

The idea for a new logo for the cemetery at 532 Ash St. came about for several reasons, said Estrada, who started in the job ……..

“Even though the cemetery has been here for years, we were constantly hearing from residents that they didn’t know we existed,” she said. 

She also realized that nearby cemeteries, such as Poway and Escondido, have logos, which is another way to help locals remember the public facilities exist. 

“Adding a logo will help modernize and bring Ramona in line with what other cemeteries are doing,” Estrada said. “The logo will be used on all official cemetery communications, such as the website, business cards, internal and external communications and more, and will help differentiate us from among other facilities.”

The board was aware of the artistic talent available in their own backyard, and thought it would be a good opportunity to have the logo artwork done by someone local, she said.

Quiroz, who declined to comment about her win, was not compensated financially for her entry, so the new logo comes at no cost to the public, Estrada said. 

However, an anonymous donor, identifying themselves only as “someone supportive of local artists in Ramona,” gave $100 to the winner, she said.