Honorable Mayor and Members of the Hermosa Beach City Council Regular Meeting of August 27, 2019
Title
HERMOSA BEACH BRANDING AND SIGNAGE
AND LOGO REFRESH CONTEST UPDATE
(Environmental Analyst Leeanne Singleton &
Assistant to the City Manager Nico De Anda-Scaia)
Body
Recommended Action:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Select the winning logo design concept;
2. Provide staff with any feedback or refinement of the selected concept, if necessary; and
3. Provide staff with direction and priorities for hiring a graphic designer to develop a style guide for the City.
Body
Executive Summary:
In February 2018, the Hermosa Beach City Council held a study session to discuss the City’s signage and branding, including the history of the seal and logos, current use of graphics, and signage and branding needs for the future. At that meeting, Council expressed preference for a refresh of the City’s logo that maintained elements of the current logo.
In June 2018, the City released a call for artists and the contest was open for submissions for approximately six weeks in which a total of 48 entries were received. Staff convened a group of stakeholders in January to assist in reviewing the entries. In March 2019, the group of stakeholders reconvened to review the revised entries and recommended to staff three artists out of four entries consideration by the community and City Council as finalists for the logo entry contest.
To facilitate community input in the process, staff posted the materials from each finalist online and created a survey for the community to rate each of the finalist designs and provide constructive feedback on the favorite options. This community input is provided as an attachment to this staff report. A single image version of each of the four initial options is provided below.
Initial Finalist Logo Designs - Community Survey Included These Images
Each finalist took feedback provided online through social media and offered refinements to their designs. These refined designs are included below and as attachments for review prior to Council discussion and possible action to select a winning logo concept and the hiring of a graphic designer to develop a style guide for the City.
Refined Finalist Logo Designs
Background:
History/Evolution of Hermosa Logo and Seal
The City of Hermosa Beach currently has both a logo and a seal, but does not have an officially adopted set of fonts or color palette to consistently distinguish the City.
The current City seal was designed by Mr. and Mrs. John T. Hales and adopted by the City Council on May 5, 1964. The new seal was developed through a community competition in conjunction with the dedication of City Hall in 1965.
The current City “logo” was developed in 1968 and has, with some variation, been used on City gateway signs and street signs. The logo was built off the seal with the Hb lettering and was designed to represent the Vetter Windmill, or a sunburst, with a pair of seagulls. Prior to 1964, Hermosa Beach had a logo and seal that was adopted in 1923 and depicted the waves of the beach and the building previously located at the pier head and included the previous City slogan-the Aristocrat of the California Beaches.
There are also several modified, spinoff, or special use logos presented below that have been used by the City of Hermosa Beach over the years. To celebrate the centennial of Hermosa Beach in 2007, a new seal and logo were developed in 2006. The seal was designed by former Public Works Director Rick Morgan and graphic designer Michael Thompson to depict 100 years of beach culture with the pier, a lifeguard tower, a surfboard, and beach volleyball. The second piece was the centennial logo that was used for banners and marketing efforts and was designed by local South Bay graphic designer and Hermosa Beach native, Chris Davis.
Other spinoff versions of logos used by the City either currently or in the past typically include a variation of the windmill design, the signature capital ‘H’/lowercase ‘b’ combination, and elements of the sunburst, waves, or palm trees.
February 2018 Branding + Signage Study Session
In February 2018, the Hermosa Beach City Council held a study session to discuss the City’s signage and branding, including the history of the City’s seal and logos, current use of graphics, and signage/branding needs for the future. The staff report and presentation from that meeting are included as Attachment 1.
The goal, as noted at the 2018 Study Session, is to create a unified set of images, graphics, and visual style to represent the City of Hermosa Beach consistently as an organization and as a community. In the case of a government organization or agency, it is common to have a City seal, to denote official city organization materials and communications, and a logo, to represent or highlight the larger community. The City seal is often presented on letterhead, business cards, and to certify official documents such as resolutions or proclamations, while the logo may be used for signage around the City, sponsorship of events or programs, and general marketing of the City.
At that February 2018 study session, the City Council recommended:
1. A refresh of the City’s logo that maintained key character-defining elements of the current logo;
2. A call for artists through a logo contest would be the preferred method for developing the concepts of a new logo; and
3. Caution about making changes to the City seal, but open to some updates to the icons located within the Hb, and some color changes to bring consistency between the logo and seal;
4. Establishment of consistent standards to distinguish official City communications and to protect the City’s visual identity from modification or use without permission of the City.
Logo Refresh - Call for Artists Process
In June 2018, the City released a call for artists (Attachment 2) to submit designs that refresh the City of Hermosa Beach logo. The call for artists articulated the City’s goal for updating the branding, the process for selecting a winning design, and provided examples of the City’s current palette of signage and logos. The contest was open for submissions for approximately six weeks and a total of 48 entries were received.
Upon submission, City staff reviewed the entries based on the following criteria, which were articulated in the call for artists:
• Representation of Hermosa Beach heritage/culture
• Distinctive or Unique Design
• Legibility (ease with which a reader can recognize)
• Contemporary/Current Design
• Transferability/Versatility to fit the needs of the City
Staff narrowed the entries down from 48 to 16 logos based on the listed criteria and then convened a group of stakeholders to review the 16 entries using the same criteria.
Staff identified a diverse group of community stakeholders representing different interests and invited a group to assist with narrowing down the field of entries. Those invited to participate included:
|
Dave Andrews |
Chris Brown |
Jani Lange |
|
Claudia Berman |
Mike Flaherty |
Mark Silva |
|
Maggie Bove La-Monica |
Maureen Hunt |
Annie Seawright |
The group met on two occasions to review the entries and at their first meeting narrowed the entries to four artists (five entries), but also asked the four artists to submit revised designs based on the feedback of the group. Staff reached out and met with those artists to provide feedback specific to the entries, as well as overall feedback applicable to each of the entries and within a few weeks’, each of the artists’ submitted revised designs.
In March the group of stakeholders reconvened to review the revised entries and recommended to staff three artists (four entries) to be considered by the community and City Council as finalists for the logo entry contest.
To facilitate community input in the process, staff posted the initial materials from each finalist online and created a survey for the community to rate each of the finalist designs and provide constructive feedback on the favorite options. The materials and online survey can be found on the City’s website at: <http://www.hermosabch.org/logorefresh>. Community input from the survey based on the initially released designs and a summary of the ratings (1 being the lowest and five being the highest score) from the 400 survey participants for each are provided as Attachment 3.
Discussion:
Each of the finalists took the feedback provided online through social media related to the initially announced designs and offered refinements to their designs based on the feedback. More detailed submissions of the finalist design concepts, including potential applications of the designs, are provided as Attachment 4. A single image version of each of the four options are provided below along with name of each designer.
As noted in the call for artists, City Council will have the opportunity to select a winning logo concept and may also consider hiring a graphic designer to develop a style guide for the City. The winner of this contest would be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and recognized at a City Council meeting. If the artist of the selected design holds the professional qualifications necessary to create a formal signage program for the City, the City may elect to enter into a paid professional services agreement with said artist, however, professional qualifications were not a requirement in order to submit artwork.
Each artist does have professional graphic design experience and interest in assisting the City with the development of a style guide and/or signage program should their design be selected.
Based on the materials provided by each designer, the logo design criteria, and community input, staff recommends that Council consider:
1. Selecting a winning logo design concept;
2. Providing staff with any feedback or refinement of the selected concept if necessary; and
3. Providing staff with direction and priorities for hiring a graphic designer to develop a style guide and/or signage program for the City.
As noted in previous discussions, Council may elect to retain the existing City logo and colors in an official capacity. However, it is still recommended that a style guide and signage program are prepared for the City that includes guidance on how the City logo may or may not be used by the community for merchandise, advertising, or other purposes without permission of the City.
If Council provides direction on a winning logo design and directs staff to hire a graphic designer to lead the development of a style guide and/or signage program, staff would work with the designer to develop a scope of work, cost proposal, and schedule of key milestones for the delivery of work products. As noted in the 2018 Study Session materials, a branding or style guide is often developed by agencies and organizations to articulate the graphic standards and visual elements to be used when creating materials to represent the organization. Elements typically include:
• color palette
• typography/fonts
• iconography and photography
• formatting style
• a logo to bring the elements together
• a slogan or tagline
A successful branding strategy includes more than just creating a logo and style. A consistent visual identity that depicts the values of the community has the ability to generate greater recognition across communication platforms, add an additional layer of credibility and professionalism as an organization, increase the effectiveness of marketing and promotion for economic development and event sponsorship purposes, and elevate the sense of civic pride among the community.
General Plan Consistency:
PLAN Hermosa, the City’s General Plan, was adopted by the City Council in August 2017. An update to the City’s logo and development of a branding style guide and signage program, and the involvement of the community in the process, supports several PLAN Hermosa goals and policies from the Governance and Land Use + Design Elements that are listed below.
Governance Element
• 1.4 Consensus oriented. Strive to utilize a consensus-oriented decision-making process.
• 2.1 Multiple outreach methods. Consistently engage in community outreach through neighborhood forums, social media, the latest technologies, personal interaction, and other methods on a regular basis.
Land Use + Design Element
• 4.4 Unique architectural design. Encourage the use of unique architectural features, facades, and outdoor spaces within Gateway Commercial developments to signify arrival to Hermosa Beach.
• 5.4 Unique brand and identity. Promote citywide identity with the addition of gateway signs, monuments, or other features to key entrances (especially to the east and north) that display the City’s name and identifies the area as a distinct place.
• 11.4 Unique gateways. Celebrate the unique gateways to Hermosa Beach by enhancing them with the work of artists.
• 11.5 City leadership in public art. Embrace a leadership role in facilitating public art and public art partnerships with City Departments, private developers, and arts and cultural organizations.
Fiscal Impact:
The potential fiscal impact(s) associated with City Council action on this topic include:
• Award of $1,000 to the designer of the winning logo concept; and
• Entering into a professional services agreement with a graphic designer to develop a style guide and/or signage program for the City based on the selected design.
Funds in the amount of $25,000 have been set aside in the City Manager’s Office Budget from Fiscal Year 2018-19 and would be re-appropriated for Fiscal Year 2019-20 and are expected to cover the two actions noted above.
Attachments:
1. Link to February 2018-Study Session Staff Report and Presentation
2. June 2018-Hermosa’s Next Logo: Call for Artists
3. Community Input on Initial Finalist Logos
4. Logo Finalist Submissions-Revised
Respectfully Submitted by: Leeanne Singleton, AICP, Environmental Analyst
Concur: Nico De Anda-Scaia, Assistant to the City Manager
Noted for Fiscal Impact: Viki Copeland, Finance Director
Legal Review: Mike Jenkins, City Attorney
Approved: Suja Lowenthal, City Manager