The $46,000 Tennessee logo. The $46,000 Tennessee logo. Photo by Contributed Photo /Times Free Press.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee has spent $46,000 for the design of a new logo featuring the white letters TN on a red background.

WSMV-TV reports that the state hired advertising and marketing company GS&F to design the new logo.

"This is something a fifth-grader could easily produce on his or her computer at home," Chris Butler, with watchdog.org, told WSMV.

A spokesman for Gov. Bill Haslam said the new logo is needed to give the state a more unified look on signs and letterhead.

The governor's office said the new logo will be gradually introduced as current stationary runs out.

The new state branding follows a decision by the Tennessee Department of Transportation to replace a green-themed symbol introduced by Haslam's Democratic predecessor Phil Bredesen. The department in 2011 introduced a new logo featuring the TDOT acronym on a red field the shape of the state.