A stylized illustration of a pitcher plant — a carnivorous plant that has been a Newfoundland symbol for decades — highlights a new government logo that Premier Danny Williams says is meant to demonstrate the province's resilience.

"It grows in a natural environment where no plant should ever grow," Williams told reporters Tuesday.

A new logo for Newfoundland and Labrador features a stylized drawing of a pitcher plant.

"It is a true symbol of who we are, as a people and as a place. … We are creative, we are inventive, even a little quirky," Williams said.

A three-bloomed pitcher plant sits atop the province's name — or, more precisely, the words "Newfoundland" and "Labrador." The conjunction "and" is missing from the province's title, which is presented in a Celtic-style font.

The logo was unveiled Tuesday as the centrepiece of what Williams described as a new branding initiative.

A 2004 review showed more than 40 different versions of the provincial logo, built around the province's coat of arms, had been in use.

"Everywhere I looked, it seemed like we had a different logo," said Williams.

"And though our coat of arms is a proud, strong symbol of our history and our roots, and will always remain so, it is not a signature brand that truly captures the essence of Newfoundland and Labrador, especially in a modern world," he said.

Williams said he told staff he wanted something that would reflect what he called "Canada's youngest and coolest province."

Noreen Golfman, a Memorial University professor who teaches media studies and whose father worked in advertising, said it is difficult to please everyone with one campaign. Still, she liked what she saw.

"I think it will resonate," said Golfman, who warned that the marketplace will probably demand change sooner rather than later.

"These things are fleeting. Ads and campaigns like this will be replaced by others," she said.

Ray Dillon, president of the St. John's Board of Trade, said he liked that the new logo avoids clutter.

"In marketing, the bigger part of the battle is getting noticed," he said.

The pitcher plant — so named because its leaves resemble a pitcher for pouring water — is an insect-eating plant that grows in various terrains across Newfoundland and Labrador.

A symbol of Newfoundland well before Confederation with Canada in 1949, the plant was chosen by Queen Victoria as the subject of a Newfoundland one-cent coin. It has since appeared on other coins, stamps and memorabilia. The house of assembly adopted the plant as the provincial flower in 1954.

A fact sheet distributed by the provincial government said the plant is known across Canada by other names, such as side-saddle-flower, piggywigs, Indian dipper and the huntsman's cup.