There’s a new bulldog in town, and you will love it. It’s not only an Ada-created bulldog, but and it’s also the only bulldog of its kind.

A project launched last spring focused on a “new and improved” Ada school logo, Dan Lee, Ada High School principal, told the Icon.

That project had its unveiling in mid-afternoon on Sept. 11.

It all came about under the direction of a committee of school staff members, three talented Ada High School alumni and a sponsorship from Quest Federal Credit Union.

Staff members on the committee included Arlene Allison, Morgan Bass, Eric Perkins, Ben Thaxton and Lee.

Kory Hubbell, Ada alum, owner of HubbellArts, is the artist behind the original logos.

A video telling the story of the bulldog, created by Ada alum Mike Ring, features a musical score by another Ada alum, Phillip Allen. Watch for the video to be posted on the Icon.

Lee said that Hubbell  has created logos for Kenton and Riverdale, and the school was really excited to involve him in the project. Lee added that  the new logo is created with the school’s history in mind.

Hubbell expressed his feelilngs on the bulldog project this way:

"Almost seven months ago, we began a process that would end with the fulfillment of a dream. Today is that day. My love of art and design began and was nurtured in Ada, Ohio, and today we finally get to unveil our rebrand of Ada Exempted Village Schools and Wilson the Bulldog.

"Ada faced a challenge many schools do – their mascot logo is shared by countless schools whose mascot also happens to be a bulldog. Whether it’s the full-body, hunched-over bulldog with its tongue hanging out many of your are imagining right now, or the cartoonish, head-only bulldog everyone “borrows” from Gonzaga University, the problem is the same – almost everyone with a bulldog as their mascot uses these designs.

"We thought Ada deserved better.

"Our goal was to create a unified visual system unique to Ada that encompasses the values of every Ada Bulldog, and one that emitted the confidence, determination, pride, and strength of the school.

"We’re really proud of what we created here, and that we got to be part of a project that benefits and elevates the place where our passion started – our school."

The new logo and its family has nine new elements:
• School crest
• Old English letter A
• Block A lettermark
• Bulldog paw print
• Dimensional wordmark
• Full body with wordmark
• Full body without wordmark
• Bulldog head with “A” tag
• Bulldog head without the “A” tag