Branding task force awards logo contract
Fixer Creative Co. — a local firm specializing in branding, web design and marketing — was chosen to design the city’s logo to go along with the slogan “Live it Up.”
The firm was chosen by the Colorado Springs Branding Task Force curator subcommittee, a team made up of marketing, branding, strategic planning, business development and graphic design experts throughout the region.
The curator team reviewed the applications of four local firms — Cukjati Brand Development + Creative, Fixer Creative Co., River Rat Design and Barrington Design Studios – before selecting Fixer Creative, which is headed by Troy and Sara DeRose.
“We’re very excited to be able to take part in this,” Troy DeRose said. “We are excited to give our city a great logo and a great identity.”
Last year, the city set out to create a branding strategy that includes a new city slogan and logo to be used in marketing campaigns. The branding task force unveiled its city slogan, Live it Up, and its logo of purple mountains with the slogan and a baseball-style font and swoosh in November. Local designers cried foul. They said the logo looked amateurish and like it was an afterthought.
The task force agreed to reopen the logo design. Twenty-seven local firms expressed interest in the chance to redesign the logo and compete for the $2,000 contract. Four were chosen for review.
In the end, Fixer Creative’s presentation, thought process and direction captured the essence of the brand strategy and had all the elements necessary for a successful logo, according to a statement released by the task force.
“Their process, background work and execution were very well done, and the concepts show great promise,” said Steve Maegdlin, CSK Group Principal and CEO and member of the curator subcommittee. “We feel this collaboration will provide the best result.”
Fixer Creative’s logo will still go through further exploration and refinement, the task force said. DeRose said he was among the critics of the original design. But, he wanted to be part of a solution. Both he and Sara considered that by vying for the contract, they were walking on the public stage and could be criticized themselves.
“That was something before we put our hat in the ring that was definitely a consideration — are we ready for the potential backlash? Ultimately, for us, if we decided not to do it for that reason; it lets fear dictate,” he said.
DeRose said the couple does their best work when the project is a little scary or uncomfortable.
“We decided there was more for the city to gain in having a good design,” he said.
Christopher Schell, vice president of Design Rangers and leader of the curator team, said the city has a solid foundation in Fixer Creative’s approach. The task force is still considering the process and timeline of public input.
“We are still on track to make a decision this spring,” Schell said.
4 Responses to Branding task force awards logo contract
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Kudos to the city for hiring a local firm …hopefully Fixer Creative Co will also get the opportunity to re-do the original Live it Up camapaign video. The video that was supposed to show Colorado Springs as a vibrant beautiful city to attract businesses and young professionals but instead was shot on a cloudy day, with bad audio, and the casting was horrible …. the first person on the video seems to be around 90 years old!! Anyway, I look forward to seeing how Fixer Creative Co. will bring this campaign to life!
Michelle
February 6, 2012 at 1:16 pm
And Stone Mantel continues to chuckle about the $111,000 they got for giving us….what, exactly?
Oh wait,I forgot: we got an immensely unpopular logo that at least three other communites were already using……..
We should probably be grateful it wasn’t an original thought….probably would have cost CVB even more money.
It’s also disappointing Mr. Price and Dr. Rhetoric from Stone Mantel have yet to take any kind responsibility for this fiasco…… Perhaps one should speak up only to take credit, and not responsibility…..just like what Congress does.
John Whitten
February 6, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Wow! John, I don’t think I have ever seen you comment on anything in a positive manner. You continually complain about something you know very little about. Let me rephrase that sentence – you complain about something you refuse to learn more about. Have you met any of the folks involved with the branding process? Or are you satisfied jumping on the band wagon driven by CAVE people – Citizens Against Virtually Everything? Absolute drivel.
Cal Reinhardt
February 6, 2012 at 3:36 pm
John is dead on Cal. It’s still a joke. Horrible slogan. Any self respecting branding expert will tell you that. There was no branding process. The public outcry was not against the logo, but the slogan. Yet no one listened.
I’ve seen the list of people involved in the branding process…not an expert to be found. Ask even the winners of this contest, great designers by the way, if they’d change the slogan too if they’d have a chance…they’ll say hell yes.
So in short, John is just saying what many people feel (obviously including me) since day one when the CVB launched this botched attempt at branding. Just to a point many say \Screw it\ when it comes to such because we know it’ll fall on deaf ears.
Luckily this town is so beautiful we could 86 our CVB and people would still show up. And overall, they do an ok job at everything else. Branding is not their strength. We’ll be fine even with a botched attempt.
But to any town looking to hire Stone Mantel….run away.
Jon Severson
February 9, 2012 at 10:08 pm