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This design by Nicole Commins will be painted on top of the Space Needle soon (Space Needle photo)

The Space Needle soon will be topped by trees. Nicole Commins, a Seattle graphic designer, submitted the winning entry for a new design atop the Space Needle. Commins’ winning artwork depicts tree tops in varying shades of white and light green against a dark green background radiating toward the Space Needle’s center spire.

The design will replace the current “Galaxy Gold” paint job, a retro orange color that honored the 50th anniversary of the 1962 World’s Fair.

The Space Needle held a contest to choose a successor design, as part of the Space Needle’s own birthday celebration. The trees design will be painted on as soon as weather permits and will remain through the Space Needle’s 51st birthday, April 21, 2013..

“Trees” beat out five other finalists including a playful fish design, a native American design and a striped umbrella. More than 100,000 votes were cast on the contest web site.

Commins described her design  “as if you were standing in the middle of one of Washington’s state parks, looking up to the tree tops.” The 29-year-old artist grew up in Edmonds and attended Shoreline Community College.