What's the problem with the tristar? Nothing. Then why the new logo? Well, I think that the love for the symbol IS the problem. The tristar represents Tennessee's culture and history as a whole. It's a way for people or businesses to proudly say "Hey, I'm from Tennessee and I love it!" That's awesome but does it say "I represent and speak for the governing body of the State of Tennessee and all of its departments?" Unfortunately, no.

The Titans aren't paid by the state. The bartender w/ the tristar tattoo isn't suggesting "I proudly work for The Tennessee Department of Transportation during the day." It's a regional marker that doesn't have much to do with local government. The want for separation makes sense, especially when you consider the aforementioned private healthcare and energy companies that are using it. If the tristar represented the government then it wouldn't be completely crazy to think that someone could assume a business using it has some government ties. I don't care much about politics, but I do know that the government's authority in private healthcare is a sensitive issue as well as it's potential profit from oil (lookin' at you, Dick Cheney). Sure, 99% of folks wouldn't make that assumption, but if the possibility is there then that's a liability.

The tristar is not getting the axe all together. The flag isn't going anywhere. I highly doubt that it'll get removed from historical plaques (I'll be mad if it is). It's getting a more specific purpose while the new logo is only to be an internal representation of the Tennessee government's offices and departments. Its kind of like good cop/bad cop. Or, like the tristar is a rockstar and the new logo is it's manager taking care of all of the dirty work.

So that's it for my thoughts on repurposing the tristar. Now, let's look at the new logo.