By Tyler Dahlgren

For years, Plattsmouth’s logo came in a variety of shapes and sizes.

There were the classic Blue Devils, the modern Blue Devils, logos that came from who knows where, varying shades of blue, and an assortment of horns, tails and scripts that shifted depending on which Facebook page or jersey you happened to see.

In a high-energy assembly at Plattsmouth High School last Monday afternoon, the district traded its fragmented past for a unified future. The "37 different logos" (that figure was a joke, but not too much of an exaggeration) are gone. They’re shelved now, pieces of Plattsmouth’s proud history.

In their place stands a singular, custom-designed mark that represents the "One District, One Logo" mission. The new logo was unveiled at the tail end of a hilarious, student-produced video which featured the school’s mascot “stealing” and discarding various logos around town. The work of seniors Alden McKnight and Haylie Briggs, it drew waves of laughter.

“That was awesome,” said superintendent Dr. Richard Hasty. “Alden and Hailey did a great job with the video.”

Most people might think of a logo as just, well, a logo. Jack Sheard, a partner at IdeaBank Marketing in Hastings with roots in education, views a logo as a tattoo of sorts, a permanent mark that defines an identity.

When Sheard first took the call to help with the Plattsmouth rebrand, he did his homework. His team put out a community survey, gathering 500 responses. They met with a group of 30 administrators, teachers, board members and students. What they found was a disjointed visual identity that didn’t match up with a proud, historic school district that will soon celebrate 150 years of operation.

"We found that Plattsmouth Blue Devils are hardworking, modern, driven, energetic and bold," Sheard told the student body. “This group should not be represented by somebody else’s logo. You should stand on your own. A proud, hardworking community of students deserves something that is their own.”

For the team at IdeaBank, the process was thorough. They weren’t just picking a stock-level devil out of a clip-art catalog. Sheard, who got a custom tattoo years ago in college, said he treats branding with the same level of deliberation and permanence.

"The idea of somebody else designing a tattoo on me as an artist, no chance," Sheard said. "When someone says, 'Hey, we want you to do a brand for us,' I literally think of it as a brand that’s going to be branded on them. We’re designing a tattoo that’s going to be with you for your entire time in this district."

Refining the Blue Devil took time. After countless drafts, Sheard and the IdeaBank team hit the mark.

“We worked our tails off for you,” Sheard joked at the assembly. “Literally, there’s no tail left. It’s gone.”

The new mark is sleeker, sharper, and designed to look as good on a kindergarten folder as it does on a varsity football helmet. The event, which ended with administrators tossing miniature footballs into the crowd, was a blast for the IdeaBank team. The buzz inside Plattsmouth’s auditorium was both infectious and a step outside of the ordinary.

"There really isn’t this much fanfare for a dental office or a new organization," Sheard laughed. "I got chills. We don’t get to do this kind of thing too often. This was literally shaped by the students, and that meant a lot to us. We wanted it to mean a lot to them, too."

Renderings of the baseball and football fields crested with the updated logo were shown at the assembly, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd. Assistant principal Kevin Tilson talked the students through a glimpse into the future of their campus.

The most visible changes will be on the athletic fields. Conveniently and coincidentally, the district is set to replace its turf, which has reached the end of its 13-year lifespan. With the turf and gym floors already scheduled for maintenance or replacement, the district will be able to integrate the new branding seamlessly and without redundant expenses.

"It’s going to be magnificent," Tilson told the crowd. "The most marketed things, the biggest things you see, are all going to change. It’s exciting"

Hasty said the rebranding had been in the books for quite awhile, with discussions dating back a year. The district’s goal, when all was said and done, was quite simple. Unification.

"We have been looking for unification from early childhood all the way to the high school," Hasty said. "Now we have something that will work for the entire district. Pre-K through 12, once everybody sees that logo, they know it’s Plattsmouth Community Schools."

Plattsmouth Blue Devils have long left their mark, in the seat of Cass County and beyond. They'll continue to do so. Only now, it'll be the same one.