About Our Logo

Evoking both a blue flame and a distinctive representation of the Space Needle, Snyder Gas Consulting’s logo was inspired by Washington’s most recognizable building, which wowed visitors when it was completed for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, the Space Needle was built in the Seattle Center and quickly became a global icon.

While the head of the Space Needle is now an indispensable part of the Seattle skyline, citizens almost had a very different view. The Emerald City owes the creation of its most popular landmark to Edward E. Carlson, the businessman who set plans for the tower in motion in 1959. However, Carlson’s early designs for the structure resembled a colossal balloon tethered to the ground. John Graham, the architect enlisted to bring the project to life, first introduced the flying saucer image that would inform the finished Space Needle.

To help make the Space Needle’s public reveal all the more dazzling, a massive flame burned bright at the head of the tower throughout the run of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. Called the needle of flame, the natural gas torch producing the flame was between 40 and 50 feet tall, and it’s said to have burned enough fuel to heat 125 homes. The purpose of this was to show how we’d all be using natural gas, as well as to act as a giant "clock" for the Fair, turning on every quarter hour.

After the Seattle World’s Fair, a radio station was built atop the needle. Every day at 6pm the needle flame would light up alerting locals that the news was on the radio. The apparatus was removed in the 1980’s after a renewed push for energy conservation, and lights were added instead. However, a 4 inch pipe that goes up 600ft to the top of the needle still exists in the bones of the structure, where natural gas would reach the top of the flame.

When creating a logo for their company, Jim and Marietta Snyder harkened back to their roots and passion, creating a logo that incorporated the blue flame of natural gas as well as an abstract version of the space needle. Evoking a history that some may have forgotten, the logo was a perfect marriage of the natural gas history of Washington.