The last time the City of Orillia developed a new logo, current city councillor Mason Ainsworth was a toddler.
On Monday night, Ainsworth and his colleagues endorsed a new “visual corporate identity” that, if ratified Monday night, will become the official city logo.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Ainsworth. “The last time it was updated (in 1994), I was two years old so I think it’s about time we had something different and updated.”
The new logo is the one that received the “widest acceptance,” noted Dan Landry, the city’s manager of business retention and expansion and industrial development.
“This is an exciting time for the city as council considers a new corporate visual identity,” Landry said in presenting the new look at Monday’s council committee meeting.
He noted the need for a new look was identified by the previous council, but the current council put the project on hold as it developed its own corporate plan. He said that morphed into the visual identity project that kicked off in late 2017.
“Extensive public consultation and research identified a number of key ‘Orillia elements’ from stakeholders and the community as to what makes Orillia,” said Landry.
He noted the team engaged several graphic artists to develop visual identification design concepts using previous research findings.
“A short list of potential design concepts was developed in early 2018 and staff has worked with two designers to refine (the logo) based on feedback from internal and external focus groups and the city’s senior management team. (In addition) input from individual members of council has also helped to shape the final design stages leading to the recommended option.”
Landry said the recommended logo “received the widest acceptance during internal and external focus testing for conveying what has been identified through public consultation as intrinsic Orillia elements and will provide the city with an updated and more modern visual identity moving forward.”
Once the new logo is official adopted, phase 2 of the program will begin. Over time, the new logo will be on everything from business cards and trucks and uniforms and be featured in all social media.
Mayor Steve Clarke praised the new look, and said he is looking forward to the new logo being placed atop the blue directional signs that were erected around town last year.
Coun. Ralph Cipolla lauded staff who, he said, deserved credit for “excellent work.” He said the new logo “is the best one for the community and tells what Orillia is all about.”
The development of a new corporate visual identity was completed utilizing the $20,827 remaining from the original Branding and Wayfinding Capital Budget of $65,000.
An implementation budget of $100,000 had been earlier approved by council.
