The composition of the shield uses the elements found on the old coat of arms of Yelisavetgrad (see below). The golden colour symbolizes the affluence and the fertility of local lands, while crimson one is the traditional colour of Ukrainian cossacks to whom the lands of present-day Kropyvnytskyi once belonged. Three dark blue bands are said to symbolize the junction of three rivers: Inhul, Suhokliya and Bianka in whose vicinity the precursor of the city, Fort of St. Elizabeth was founded. The latter is represented on the coat of arms by means of the golden six-bastioned fort with black rim. The red monogram of St. Elizabeth is directly influenced by the one of Elizabeth of Russia depicted on the previous emblem of the city. The silver storks are allegoric figures hinting at the personality of cossack Stepan Leleka ('leleka', "лелека" is a Ukrainian for "a stork"), the founder of zymivnyk (settlement) Lelekivka, now within the city boundaries. A mural crown is a usual element for the regional centre coats of arms in Ukraine.