Item No. 8.
TO:HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
BY:AUSTIN RAMIREZ, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
DATE:MAY 12, 2026
SUBJECT:DISCOVER DOWNEY BRAND UPDATE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In July 2025, the City Council approved an agreement with marketing agency Kilter LA, LLC (“Kilter”) to develop a refreshed Discover Downey brand that would elevate the City’s visibility as a vibrant destination and market to visitors, consumers, and investors. That work is now complete and has resulted in a modern, consumer-facing brand identity that is ready for implementation.
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
Receive and file an update on the refreshed Discover Downey brand.
BACKGROUND
The previous Discover Downey brand is in need of a distinct vision to capture a new audience and leverage the amenities and assets that make Downey an attractive destination for visitors, investors, and businesses. It also used the same logo and colors as the City's municipal brand, causing many residents to confuse it with the City of Downey account, limiting its engagement and growth. While the City of Downey Instagram account has grown to more than 31,000 followers, the Discover Downey account has just a little more than 4,000 followers. Additionally, many other cities have developed destination marketing brands that increase economic impact and enhance a community's reputation (examples include Visit Pasadena, Visit Oceanside, and Visit Temecula Valley). These brands are complementary to municipal brands, but intentionally focus their efforts on attracting spending and investment that supports the community and local businesses.
When gathering input for the Economic Development Action Plan, small businesses ranked marketing resources as one of the most critical resources the City can help provide. In July of last year, staff began working with Kilter to create a consumer-facing brand with one objective: to create an identity that helps to celebrate Downey and inspire visitation and investment.
Goals for the refreshed Discover Downey brand included:
The brand will be aspirational and inspired by the history, people, architecture, and atmosphere of the City.
The brand will inspire inquiries from investors, consumers, and visitors alike.
The brand will be distinct from the City of Downey’s brand identity, but still complementary.
The brand will create a sense of pride for Downey among current businesses and residents.
Staff also worked with Kilter to ensure the brand could be applied to multiple platforms, audiences, and settings.
Full implementation will include digital assets (e.g., social media, a dedicated website, and digital brand templates) and physical assets (e.g., merchandise, trade show booths, event assets, printed materials, billboards, and banners). The brand’s target audience sectors are tourism (consumers) and economic development (investors), with an intentional design and color palette that will help the brand remain prominent in conference and tradeshow settings.
ANALYSIS
Looking to Downey’s past and present for inspiration, Kilter and staff explored design elements from the City’s rich history and the vibrant cultural diversity present today:
The result is a new logo that features a classic mid-century script in “Discover”, with a bold typeface that centers “Downey” as the focal point:
Staff worked with Kilter to develop a tropical mid-century color palette that would help the brand stand on its own, but still pay homage to and complement the City's municipal brand. To complement the blues and oranges of the City brand when used as counterparts, Discover Downey’s color palette includes Deep Navy, Tropical Seafoam, Golden Mustard, and Coral Hibiscus. To distinguish between the two audiences, the palette is unique for each use, Tourism and Economic Development:
Tourism
Economic Development
Additional conceptual renderings of the brand's applications include:
The refreshed Discover Downey brand will establish Downey as a premier destination and invite a new regional consumer audience to support local businesses. The Discover Downey Instagram will solely publish professional content that focuses on highlighting Downey's unique business and community offerings, as well as regional events that attract visitation from outside city limits. The refreshed brand also supports several strategic priorities:
Capitalize on the Los Angeles World Cup 26 Fan Zone at City of Downey, as well as the LA28 Olympic Games, to position Downey as a destination within the regional tourism economy.
Strengthen the City's “Spend Local” campaign to encourage residents and visitors to support local businesses and reinvest in their community.
Advance the City’s efforts to attract and recruit high-quality businesses.
Promote Downey’s market potential to national developers and investors, highlighting the City's strengths and opportunities for growth while attracting new investment.
Feedback from stakeholders has been positive, with small businesses expressing excitement about the additional marketing exposure and a desire to partner on brand content. Participation from Downey's small businesses will be critical to the long-term success of the refreshed Discover Downey brand. Staff will begin implementing the refreshed Discover Downey brand immediately to capture expanded exposure opportunities presented by the 2026 World Cup, LA28, and upcoming trade shows like ICSC Western.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
Economic Vibrancy
Quality of Life
Public Engagement
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with receiving and filing this report. Costs associated with the implementation of the refreshed Discover Downey brand will be included in the fiscal year 2026-27 operating budget.