Kent County Seal

The Kent County seal was the brainchild of a Kent County employee, William Swanson. Prior to 1969, there was no county seal. Like most municipalities, the County embossed a plain, round circle with its name on documents that required an official stamp. Although serviceable, the mark contained nothing representative of Kent County.

In 1969, the Board of Commissioners wanted to create a seal highlighting Kent County as a place to live, rather than focusing on the function of its government. A committee of the Board mixed and matched suggested symbols and colors to achieve the vision of the County they wanted to share with those who came in contact with the County.

A finished design incorporating Swanson's sketches and the Commissioners' final selections was prepared by Pam Holloway, a student at the Kendall School of Design. The county seal made its official debut in a brochure produced for the City-County Building dedication. It was later made a part of the County flag which was raised on the plaza as part of the building dedication ceremony on September 30, 1969.

The seal we know today contains the colors and symbolism to reflect the County’s heritage and vision: a lamp of knowledge; scales, to reflect a “just” society; blue to represent the Grand River and the County's many inland lakes; green for agricultural lands and gold to reflect prosperity.