Roswell is not without its share of history and pride, with notable figures such as John Denver, Sam Donaldson, Demi Moore and Roger Staubach all having ties to the town. The masses, however, will forever know Roswell, the fifth-largest city in New Mexico, as the site of 1947’s supposed UFO crash, though the actual destination was approximately 75 miles away. Regardless of supplemental findings and that geographic revelation, the famous location has called on its aging-like-fine-wine encounter with fame to inspire its new logo, with officials having taken measures last week to trademark the icon.
City of Roswell, New Mexico Trademarks Alien-Inspired Logo – via @geekdotcom https://t.co/K8MRwz6RCB
— Roswell, NM (@SeeRoswellNM) June 13, 2019
All science fiction aficionados worth their salt are well-versed in the Roswell UFO incident, and city leaders want to intensify their curiosity and create enthusiasm in the uninitiated through the symbol. Seventy-two years after the matter enthralled the nation, they are hoping to attract at least 10 more years’ worth of attention through the logo, which creatively incorporates a flying saucer into an “R.” It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the dubbing of Martian occupants as “little green men” that the letter appears in that hue.
It should also not shock anyone that Roswell, no matter the degree of distinction that it wants to enjoy through the logo, has taken measures not to have it become an overly commercial identifier. An account from Geek notes that though businesses can proudly adorn their store windows with the emblem or go so far as to include it on receipts, they cannot include it on their own promotional items or make it an element of any advertising push to sell anything. That restriction might come across as a buzzkill to those who might feel that Roswell should do whatever it can to bolster its out-of-this-world mark as the “UFO Capital of the World,” especially as its eponymous festival approaches, but unauthorized use of any logo simply does not “fly” no matter where one is located or what cash could come as a result of promoting it.
Given that the New Mexico Secretary of State’s Office had no qualms about granting Roswell this artistic representation, here’s hoping that some little green men, women or children take to the city this summer to give their take on the logo and its likeness to their vessels. A sci-fi nerd can dream, right?
