City unveils new logo
By Lynn Zerschling Journal staff writer | Posted: Thursday, August 31, 2006
With the assistance of city employees sporting new city T-shirts, City Manager Paul Eckert unveiled the new city logo Wednesday that will be used in future marketing campaigns.
The logo replaces the City Hall Clocktower design featured on city stationery, the Web page and vehicles since 1997.
The word "Sioux City" is printed in a dark teal green with a yellow-gold star and the words, "Successful Surprising Sioux City" printed in yellow-gold.
"We believe this new logo reflects all the progress we have seen going on the over the past 10 years," Eckert said. "Sioux City is experiencing a renaissance. We have leaders with vision and a can-do spirit that have dramatically enhanced our business climate and improved our quality of life."
He cited plans for the new Public Museum and construction of a wide range of projects, including shopping centers, new schools, riverfront and downtown development.
At times, the press conference in City Hall's lobby resembled a pep rally with city employees clapping, whistling and yelling enthusiastically. Many had affixed miniature tattoos of the logo on their arms and hands -- except for Police Chief Joe Frisbie who wore the tattoo on his cheek.
Members of the Mayor's Youth Commission will hand out the tattoos to youngsters at ArtSplash this weekend.
The font, or type face, of the logo combines historical and contemporary components, Janet Flanagan of Perry Creek Communications said. Jeff Gordon of JD Gordon Advertising blended two other fonts to create the new one, naming it after nationally known architect William Steele, who designed a number of buildings, including the Woodbury County Courthouse.
"We are excited about it -- so what?" Councilman Jim Rixner asked.
"It is 'so what.' Everything I've done on the City Council has been a pleasant surprise to me. Others have voiced surprise about the quality of this city. ... It's a beautiful city. We are building our neighborhoods. We are building our economy. It's safe living here."
He credited city employees for providing prompt and courteous service to citizens.
"I love the logo. I love what it represents," Rixner said. "I think we will be more successful in the future."
Councilman Dave Ferris said logos carry weight. He cited the importance of Nike's logo -- calling it the "swoosh" known around the world, as well as McDonald's and its Golden Arches and Wells Dairy and its Blue Bunny.
"I'm going to be very proud to see this logo on city trucks and buses ... and on banners," Ferris said.
City buses don't carry the logo now and probably won't in the future, Curt Miller, the city's purchasing/fleet/transit manager, told The Journal.
"We might do some advertising on signs in the buses with the logo. We will replace the vinyl decals on city vehicles and in some cases can just apply the new ones over the top of the old ones. They will go on city cars, trucks, mowers, graders, sweepers and loaders."
The logo was designed by a committee of 15 consisting of city employees, former Mayor Marty Dougherty, Rixner and marketing executives Mark Reinders from MidAmerican Energy, Tom Elsen from American Pop Corn Co. and Jim Rossiter from Wells' Dairy Inc., who volunteered their time. Flanagan and Gordon assisted the panel.
"If we had paid them minimum wage, we would have put $100,000 in to it," Ferris asserted.
The so-called "rebranding" evolved out of focus groups and a marketing survey sent to 3,150 citizens last October. The surveys revealed that most responding couldn't identify the old logo.
The $21,000 price tag attached to the rebranding efforts included the cost of those surveys, art and graphics and the production materials.
Gordon designed the clocktower logo nine years ago, admitting he had mixed emotions about seeing that one replaced. However, he said, it just represented city government and not the community as a whole.
When asked why the new emblem didn't include an artistic rendition of a building such as the Tyson Center, Gordon replied, "No one single building really represented the city." However, he and Flanagan said, the logo will be used with other designs in upcoming marketing campaigns.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the new design.
Councilman Brent Hoffman said, "I'm lukewarm about it, but I like it better than what we have now."
Lynn Zerschling may be reached at (712) 293-4202 or lynnzerschling@siouxcityjournal.com
City Poem
The city T-shirts contain the new logo on the front and this poem on the back. The poem will be featured in future marketing efforts:
"We SHOP like the Cities. Without all the crowd.
ROCK like the South. Real good and real loud.
PLAY like we're lakeside. Without the high cost.
ENJOY Big Apple culture. And never get lost.
Our businesses GROW. Our families THRIVE.
This is SIOUX CITY. And WE HAVE ARRIVED."
(Written by the marketing committee)
The logo replaces the City Hall Clocktower design featured on city stationery, the Web page and vehicles since 1997.
The word "Sioux City" is printed in a dark teal green with a yellow-gold star and the words, "Successful Surprising Sioux City" printed in yellow-gold.
"We believe this new logo reflects all the progress we have seen going on the over the past 10 years," Eckert said. "Sioux City is experiencing a renaissance. We have leaders with vision and a can-do spirit that have dramatically enhanced our business climate and improved our quality of life."
He cited plans for the new Public Museum and construction of a wide range of projects, including shopping centers, new schools, riverfront and downtown development.
At times, the press conference in City Hall's lobby resembled a pep rally with city employees clapping, whistling and yelling enthusiastically. Many had affixed miniature tattoos of the logo on their arms and hands -- except for Police Chief Joe Frisbie who wore the tattoo on his cheek.
Members of the Mayor's Youth Commission will hand out the tattoos to youngsters at ArtSplash this weekend.
The font, or type face, of the logo combines historical and contemporary components, Janet Flanagan of Perry Creek Communications said. Jeff Gordon of JD Gordon Advertising blended two other fonts to create the new one, naming it after nationally known architect William Steele, who designed a number of buildings, including the Woodbury County Courthouse.
"We are excited about it -- so what?" Councilman Jim Rixner asked.
"It is 'so what.' Everything I've done on the City Council has been a pleasant surprise to me. Others have voiced surprise about the quality of this city. ... It's a beautiful city. We are building our neighborhoods. We are building our economy. It's safe living here."
He credited city employees for providing prompt and courteous service to citizens.
"I love the logo. I love what it represents," Rixner said. "I think we will be more successful in the future."
Councilman Dave Ferris said logos carry weight. He cited the importance of Nike's logo -- calling it the "swoosh" known around the world, as well as McDonald's and its Golden Arches and Wells Dairy and its Blue Bunny.
"I'm going to be very proud to see this logo on city trucks and buses ... and on banners," Ferris said.
City buses don't carry the logo now and probably won't in the future, Curt Miller, the city's purchasing/fleet/transit manager, told The Journal.
"We might do some advertising on signs in the buses with the logo. We will replace the vinyl decals on city vehicles and in some cases can just apply the new ones over the top of the old ones. They will go on city cars, trucks, mowers, graders, sweepers and loaders."
The logo was designed by a committee of 15 consisting of city employees, former Mayor Marty Dougherty, Rixner and marketing executives Mark Reinders from MidAmerican Energy, Tom Elsen from American Pop Corn Co. and Jim Rossiter from Wells' Dairy Inc., who volunteered their time. Flanagan and Gordon assisted the panel.
"If we had paid them minimum wage, we would have put $100,000 in to it," Ferris asserted.
The so-called "rebranding" evolved out of focus groups and a marketing survey sent to 3,150 citizens last October. The surveys revealed that most responding couldn't identify the old logo.
The $21,000 price tag attached to the rebranding efforts included the cost of those surveys, art and graphics and the production materials.
Gordon designed the clocktower logo nine years ago, admitting he had mixed emotions about seeing that one replaced. However, he said, it just represented city government and not the community as a whole.
When asked why the new emblem didn't include an artistic rendition of a building such as the Tyson Center, Gordon replied, "No one single building really represented the city." However, he and Flanagan said, the logo will be used with other designs in upcoming marketing campaigns.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the new design.
Councilman Brent Hoffman said, "I'm lukewarm about it, but I like it better than what we have now."
Lynn Zerschling may be reached at (712) 293-4202 or lynnzerschling@siouxcityjournal.com
City Poem
The city T-shirts contain the new logo on the front and this poem on the back. The poem will be featured in future marketing efforts:
"We SHOP like the Cities. Without all the crowd.
ROCK like the South. Real good and real loud.
PLAY like we're lakeside. Without the high cost.
ENJOY Big Apple culture. And never get lost.
Our businesses GROW. Our families THRIVE.
This is SIOUX CITY. And WE HAVE ARRIVED."
(Written by the marketing committee)
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