I’m proud today to share Signal Cleveland’s new logo with you. Launching a newsroom has a lot of moving parts, but the most prominent are our name and our logo. They make us unique and let people know right away who we are and what we strive to do.

As you know, our name was a community-based process that included listening to Greater Cleveland residents. We heard that people wanted a name that was bold, community-centered and rooted in Cleveland. And our name is just that – a nod to Ohio’s role in the Underground Railroad and the signals that guided people to freedom. Just as a signal can be a trusted beacon lighting the way, we aim to be a trusted source of news and information for Greater Clevelanders.

Our logo emerged from our name. Cleveland, a key city in the Underground Railroad codenamed Station Hope, was the last stop before Canada. Some believe that Freedom Quilts were used to mark locations on the Underground Railroad and that Cleveland was marked with a crossroads symbol.

Those headed to freedom would know they were on the right path when they saw a quilt embroidered with the crossroads mark, some historians say. Our logo references that mark.

And at its heart is the yellow block referencing the Cleveland Documenters community (the Documenters branding is bright yellow). That community is at the heart of our newsroom. Community questions and interests drive what we do. They’re driving how we’re developing beats and the stories our reporters are working on now.

Call or text us at (216) 220-9398 and tell us what you want us to know as we move closer to our newsroom launch in just a few weeks.