Administrative
Report
N.3., File # 23-6992 Meeting Date: 10/17/2023
To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ELIZABETH HAUSE, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY MANAGER
TITLE
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING APPROVAL OF A REDESIGNED CITY LOGO
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As part of the Strategic Plan, the City Council requested staff identify the resources and process needed to facilitate a City rebranding effort. In October 2022, the Council was presented with options to begin a Redondo Beach rebrand and directed staff to pursue a streamlined redesign of the City’s logo with the assistance of a design firm. On February 14, 2023, the City Council approved a contract with Stellen Design LLC (Stellen) for logo design services.
Since then, a City Manager’s Logo Redesign Committee (Committee), comprised of Redondo Beach residents, was formed and has met regularly to consider iconography, design, and brand impressions. Community surveys and stakeholder interviews have also been conducted. This report outlines the redesign process and community feedback, and presents, for City Council consideration, the Committee’s preferred logo design and proposed color palette.
There are three options available to the Council, including 1) approval of the redesigned logo, 2) direction to continue the redesign effort (which would require a contract amendment with Stellen and input on suggested design changes), or 3) pausing the redesign effort and continuing use of the City’s current logo and/or City Seal.
BACKGROUND
The Strategic Plan includes an objective to “present City logo redesign options to City Council for consideration of approval.” At the February 14, 2023 City Council meeting, Council approved a contract with Stellen for design services. The contract required that Stellen take direction from a committee comprised of Redondo Beach residents that would, through a series of workshops and meetings, redesign or refresh the City’s current logo. The Scope of Work also included conducting stakeholder interviews and incorporating community survey feedback into the logo development process.
Upon contract approval, staff queried the community to identify individuals interested in being part of the Committee. By mid-March 2023, five community members representing various backgrounds, expertise, and Council Districts within Redondo Beach committed themselves to partaking in the months-long logo redesign process.
N.3., File # 23-6992 Meeting Date: 10/17/2023
Logo Redesign Process
In order to create a foundation to build the new logo, the redesign process began with two, 1.5-hour Strategy Workshops with the Committee led by Stellen. These workshops provided the Committee an opportunity to define Redondo Beach, identify what the culture is and is not, articulate how Redondo stands out amongst other beach cities, and identify characteristics that represent the people who live, work, and play in the City. The second of these workshops was informed by community feedback collected with Survey #1, which aimed to capture participants’ perception of Redondo life and culture, as well as gather input on what type of logo the participants connected with most. The Scope of Work also included conducting stakeholder interviews and incorporating community survey feedback into the logo development process. The four stakeholder interviews were conducted with Redondo residents from varying personal and professional backgrounds:
· Resident #1: Married, 2 children under 3 years of age, transplants, 15-year residents, software development company executive
· Resident #2: Married, one child on the way, born and raised Redondo resident, event planner · Resident #3: Married, 2 adult children, transplants, 30-year residents, attorney · Resident #4: Single, born and raised Redondo resident, entrepreneur Similar to the spirit of the Committee workshops and Survey #1, these interviews were framed to capture who the Redondo Beach resident is and how they perceive themselves, the City, and their place within the City.
Using Committee and community insights collected in the strategy and research phase, Stellen began work on logo concepts sketching-out icons and symbols for the logo redesign. Over the course of two months, three logo refinement meetings were held. During these meetings, Committee members guided Stellen’s logo development progression by providing feedback, sentiments, and suggestions on the design as it evolved.
At the end of this logo development and refinement phase, the Committee had three favored options for logo icon, font, and layout. Survey #2 was then launched to capture the community’s preference in each of these areas. The results showed a strong winner in each of these categories. Stellen took the preferred icon, font, and layout and began the final phase of refinement and color palette development.
In late August, the Committee came together for the fourth logo refinement meeting to provide feedback on the redesigned logo, and on August 30th Survey #3 was launched. The survey asked questions regarding participants’ impressions of the logo redesign on its own, how it compares to the current logo, and if the redesign is relevant to Redondo Beach today and in the future. Regrettably, the initial survey launch was compromised, likely by online bots, resulting in a mass influx of fake responses (over 5000 in a short period). In an effort to accurately capture community feedback, the survey was closed and relaunched on September 5th with an additional participant verification requirement that would eliminate the threat of automated, online tampering. All survey results are included in with this report, and the list below details the logo redesign process schedule. · April 19, 2023 - Strategy Workshop #1
· May 2, 2023- Survey #1, “Who is Redondo Beach?” 210 Responses · May 22, 2023 - Strategy Workshop #2
N.3., File # 23-6992 Meeting Date: 10/17/2023
· June 9, 2023 - Logo Refinement Meeting #1
· July 6, 2023 - Logo Refinement Meeting #2
· July 20, 2023 - Logo Refinement Meeting #3
· August 1, 2023- Survey #2, “Preferences for Icons,” Fonts and Marks. 422 Responses · August 24, 2023 - Logo Refinement Meeting #4
· August 30, 2023 - Survey #3, “Proposed Redesign Impressions” (closed September 5th, results compromised, 5,004 responses)
· September 5, 2023- Survey #3 Relaunch, “Proposed Redesign Impressions,” 305 Responses The proposed design for the updated City logo, preferred color palette, alternative logo characterization, and common uses for logo placement are included with this report along with slides from the strategy workshop. These items provide insight into how the initial phases of the logo redesign effort progressed.
Staff is seeking Council direction on how to move forward with the logo redesign. There are three options available to Council: 1) to approve the new logo and direct Stellen to finalize the Design Guide, 2) direct staff to continue redesign efforts and amend Stellen’s contract to accommodate additional work, or 3) pause the redesign effort and continue utilizing the City’s current logo.
COORDINATION
The City Manager’s Logo Redesign Committee, along with community input, coordinated the development of the redesigned logo as proposed. The City Manager’s Office coordinated the development of this report.
FISCAL IMPACT
Specific funds for the logo redesign project were not appropriated in the FY 2022-23 Budget, however, the cost of the contract was covered through the City Manager’s Contracts & Professional Services account.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
· City Council Administrative Report, February 14, 2023 · City Manager’s Logo Redesign Committee Member Bios
· Community Survey #1, Survey #2, and Survey #3 Results · Redesigned Logo Review Package
· Presentation - Redondo Beach Brand Strategy Session 1, April 19, 2023, and Session 2, May 22, 2023