NONE of the three logo designs put before Bathurst Regional Council should be adopted as part of the city’s new branding strategy, says Councillor Ian North.
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Councillors are due to make a final decision on the new logo at their meeting next Wednesday, but Cr North says he would be happy to see all three of the current designs scrapped and the project put out to a public competition.
Council has so far forked out more than $50,000 for the three logo options – Forever Young, Step Beyond and Perfectly Timeless – but Cr North said none of them had “hit the mark”.
He conceded the consultants selected for the project, Destination Marketing Store, had won awards for previous campaigns but – like champion sportspeople – he said they couldn’t get it right every time.
“We keep hearing the logo is just a small part of the overall branding exercise but I just don’t think the three options sell us well enough,” he said.
“We have some very clever people in this town and we have the university with some great communications and PR people up there.
“I know people will be disappointed with the money we’ve spent so far but if I had the money I would go out there and offer $10-$15,000 for someone to come with a design.
“We would get 100 entries for councillors to choose from.”
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If he receives no support inside the chamber to reject the three current designs, Cr North said he was leaning slightly towards the flagstaff design as his preferred option.
“At least it has some significance to Bathurst, and is a place that brings together the old and the new,” he said.
A handful of local people have already produced their own designs with about eight options already shared on the new Brand Bathurst Facebook page.