In Bailey, a new town seal design is finalized with help from a local business

Pretty soon, residents in the town of Bailey may start seeing the finished product of an idea that was brought to life by a local business.

Image Designs Ink didn't just get the job done — the local business actually donated the time spent redesigning the town seal, Bailey's board of commissioners recently learned.

Earlier this year, Image Designs Ink agreed to work with Bailey Mayor Owen H. Strickland II to update the town seal of the community of 568 people located between Wilson and Zebulon.

“Joshua learned from his family that we give back when we can, and this was a simple thing we could do for the town,” said Amy Strickland Pearson, mother of Image Designs Ink’s owner Joshua Pearson. She also is the operator of Rudy’s Truck and Trailer in Bailey.

Image Designs Ink specializes in screen printing and embroidery services. When she learned the town wanted to update its town seal, Amy said she talked to her son about offering his services.

“It can be a costly thing, searching for someone to do that and paying for the fees; it typically could be $100-$150 an hour. So I volunteered my son,” Amy said.

“That was not something I expected,” said Bailey's mayor, who is not related to the Pearsons.

“I was giving my presentation, and I told the commissioners we don’t know how much it was going to cost; it shouldn’t cost much, but as soon as I get the cost, I’ll bring it before the board,” the mayor recalled.

That's when the board learned Image Designs Ink was donating its services.

“I think it’s very important to be involved in our town and helping it to progress forward. The seal hadn’t been updated in some time, and the mayor shared his ideas, and I thought it would look like a good revision,” Amy said. “It’s the same, but different.”

The previous seal is a black and white image with the words, “Town of Bailey N.C.” in the border with a map on the town in the center along with the legend “Incorporated 1908.”

Commissioners approved the final design in June, said the mayor.

The newly adopted seal has undergone several revisions since Strickland released his initial design ideas.

Among the final changes in the new version is using Arabic numerals “1908” instead of Roman numerals, “MCMVIII” for the incorporation date. Members of the public thought the more familiar numbers would be easier to read, Strickland said.

Instead of concentric light blue circles around the image, the inter circle is French blue, to match the uniform shirts of the town’s police officers, and the outer circle is a darker blue.

A circle of red stars symbolizing “excellence, professionalism, quality and imagination,” remains.

The main image, a map of the city, also has been altered to eliminate dead-end streets and dirt roads, Strickland said. And below the incorporation date, the seal notes the town of Bailey is "Home of the COUNTRY DOCTOR MUSEUM."

The updated map of the town includes Interstate 587 as well as a dot with a circle around it, which represents the location of Town Hall, he said.

“You could actually use the seal to find Town Hall, if that’s what you want to do,” Strickland said. “People don’t have to look it up on Google, all they have to do is look on the side of a (town) vehicle.”

The final version of the seal was sent to Strickland on Tuesday.

Strickland said he found a company on Etsy, a website that sells handmade and vintage items, that carves and paints town seals. He wants to have one crafted and mounted on the commissioners’ dais. The estimated cost is slightly less than $300.

Commissioners have already budgeted about $1,000 to update the town’s stationary. Strickland estimates it will cost about $600 to update the business cards of town staff and elected officials. The cards won’t be updated until each person runs out of existing cards.

Strickland was enthusiastic about the final touches made to the seal.

“It’s much better than the thing I put together," Strickland said. "Having a professional company do something like this for you is much better than a want-to-be illustrator like myself trying to do it. Everything looks really professional; that’s what we wanted.”

Strickland said town officials are working to conduct town business in a professional manner, and that the new town seal is in keeping with that effort.

“If you look the part, people will treat you in a certain way, a better way usually,” he said.