Special Photo The new logo for the city of Porterdale was presented to the City Council on Monday by Jefferson Riley, center, president and chief executive officer of THP Graphics Group Inc., and his daughter, Krista Riley, left, who is a business owner and resident in Porterdale. Shown at right accepting the new design is Porterdale Mayor Bobby Hamby. Jefferson Riley’s company donated the new logo.

Porterdale updates logo design

Alice Queen
Executive Editor

PORTERDALE - THP Graphics Group Inc. presented city officials with a new town logo Monday night that identifies Porterdale as "Georgia's Historic Mill Village."

Mayor Bobby Hamby said the colorful logo will be used on town letterhead, promotional materials and decals for city vehicles in the future. The new logo will also be incorporated in new town limits signs when funds allow for the existing signs to be replaced.

"This is going to be our brand, and we'll use it everywhere," Hamby said.

Jefferson Riley, president and chief executive officer of THP in Conyers, along with his daughter, Krista, presented the logo to the City Council. Krista is a resident of the Porterdale Mill Lofts.

Riley told the council that his daughter, who moved to the lofts about 18 months ago and opened a jewelry store in the mill village, was the inspiration for his involvement in the logo design. Riley said Krista got involved in the revitalization efforts in Porterdale and asked him if he could help out, too.

Riley, who grew up in Covington, said Tuesday his roots run deep in Newton County, which made his contribution to Porterdale a natural connection.

"My great-great-grandfather was Noah Piper, and he owned a very large plantation just south of Porterdale that came up to the Porterdale city limits in the late 1800s," Riley said. "My great uncle was N.J. Piper, who was one of the top managers at Bibb Manufacturing Company."

Bibb operated the textile mills in Porterdale for many years.

"My grandmother was Ila Piper Randle, and she was the timekeeper at Bibb Manufacturing for many years," Riley added. "She and my grandfather also owned a grocery store right at the city limits between Porterdale and Covington, and most of the Bibb Manufacturing workers did business with them."

Riley has been in the graphic design business for 31 years and opened a THP Copy Center in Covington in 1987. His mother, Judy Randle Riley, recently retired as manager of the store.

Over the years, Riley's business has expanded to include design, commercial printing, digital copy centers and signs. Align Design, THP Company, is the division responsible for developing the new Porterdale logo. Align Design has offices in Conyers and on 14th Street in Atlanta.

Riley said graphic artist Omar Murcia, from Bogota, Colombia, created the new logo for Porterdale. Riley said Murcia has a master's degree in graphic design from Barcelona University in Barcelona, Spain.

Align Design has done work for such companies as CNN, Coca-Cola and Turner Entertainment, according to Riley. He said Murcia has won the top award for design in the print competition for the last five years for his work on promotional materials for the state Department of Natural Resources.

Alice Queen can be reached at alice.queen@newtoncitizen.com.