MV Chamber Unveils New Michael Schwab-Designed ‘Mill Valley’ Logo and Related Merchandise

More than 150 people poured into the Seager Gray Gallery in downtown Mill Valley Tuesday evening to get a glimpse at the new Mill Valley logo designed by award-winning graphic designer Michael Schwab and the array of new merchandise bearing that logo. The event, held on February 7 as part of the Arts Commission’s First Tuesday Artwalk, drew art lovers and City, Chamber and civic leaders to see what Schwab had created.

The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center had commissioned Schwab to design the logo, and the project was spearheaded by Chamber Board Member Kathryn Olson, who told the crowd gathered at Seager Gray about the project’s inspiration. 

“The most important thing was that we capture the emotion and the pride that we feel living in this community,” Olson said. “Every time you tell someone you live here there is so much pride, and we’re so privileged to call this place home. Michael has this unbelievable ability to capture a place and a brand and to really distill it down into what’s meaningful to people and the connection that people have with what he creates.” 
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Schwab talked about his first time visiting Mill Valley, a trip in 1975 to see Jules Broussard with his then-girlfriend at the old Sweetwater. “I just thought I had died and gone to heaven,” he said.

“This was a daunting project – Mill Valley is such a special place,” Schwab said. “Mill Valley has that special light and color and coziness and woodsiness, and I tried to capture that. I wanted it to feel like a woodcut and handcrafted. Hopefully this evokes that wonderful romance of Mill Valley.”

Schwab also showcased some of his other Mill Valley-related artwork at Seager Gray, including designs for Peet’s, the 2013 America’s Cup and Muir Woods National Monument, among others. On February 8, all of the artwork moved over to the at the Mill Valley Chamber & Visitor Center at 85 Throckmorton Ave. in the Depot building, where it will remain on display through February. 

In unveiling the logo, the Chamber also debuted an array of merchandise bearing, below, clockwise from top left:

• Light gray/charcoal gray Felt Tote, 20″ x 13.5″ ($40).
• Black embroidered Baseball Cap ($30).
• Charcoal gray/black Felt Tote, 20″ x 13.5″ ($40).
• H2GO stainless steel Thermal Bottle with insulated lid, 17-ounce, in white ($35).
• Black Leather Embossed Journal, 5″ x 8.5″ ($25).
• H2GO stainless steel Thermal Bottle with insulated lid, 17-ounce, in matte gray ($35).
• Mill Valley Logo Print, 21″ x 28″ ($100).
• Framed Mill Valley Logo Print, 21″ x 28″ ($300).

All items are available for sale at the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center, 85 Throckmorton Ave. (Depot Building), Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-4pm. Call 415.388.9700 to order items for pickup. Here are photos of the thermal bottles and baseball cap:

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