[City of Austin Brand Initiative News Conference on September 4, 2025.]
[00:00:03]
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE, UH, WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH YOU.
UH, BEFORE WE HEAR FROM OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP, I'D LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU A VIDEO TO SET THE STAGE FOR HOW WE FEEL ABOUT THIS FABULOUS CITY.
LIKE A PLUNGE INTO BARTON SPRINGS, IT BRINGS YOU TO LIFE LIKE THE HUM OF AN ELECTRIC GUITAR.
EVERY DAY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANTS PROUDLY SHOW UP TO PRESERVE THAT FEELING AND TO EVOLVE IT RESPONSIBLY.
WE ARE HERE TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF AUSTINITES THROUGH A HIGH STANDARD OF DEPENDABLE SERVICE, TO BRING MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO OUR NEIGHBORS WHO START WITH FEWER RESOURCES TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES HEALTHY.
OUR WATER RUNNING AND OUR KITES FLYING.
WE'RE FAR FROM PERFECT, Y'ALL.
WE SEE THE WIDENING WEALTH GAPS, BUT WE ALSO LOVE THIS TOWN.
AS THE WORLD WATCHES, WE FACE OUR CITY'S CHALLENGES TOGETHER WITH OPEN MINDS, EARS, EYES, HEARTS, AND DOORS.
AND WE PLEDGE TO WORK RELENTLESSLY UNTIL EVERY AUSTIN.
I CANNOT JUST LIVE HERE, BUT THRIVE HERE.
AUSTIN IS A FEELING AND THAT FEELING BELONGS TO ALL OF US, ALL OF US,
TWO WEEKS AGO, I SHARED SOME EXCITING NEWS WITH OUR 17,000 CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES.
AND THAT NEWS IS THAT THE CITY WILL BE GETTING A NEW LOOK FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUSTIN'S HISTORY.
WE WILL BE HAVE, WE WILL HAVE A LOGO TO REPRESENT THE CITY SERVICES AND UNIFY US AS ONE ORGANIZATION, ONE AUSTIN.
WHILE THIS EFFORT BEGAN BEFORE I ARRIVED AS CITY MANAGER, IT IS A PROJECT I WAS GLAD TO CHAMPION BECAUSE THERE IS A VERY REAL BUSINESS NEED FOR A, A UNIFIED BRAND.
WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM AS CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES AND TRUST THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE.
WHETHER THEY SEE THE BRAND ON A WEBSITE, A UTILITY BILL, A STREET SIGN, OR THE SIDE OF A VEHICLE, THEY'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHO IT'S FROM AND WHAT IT STANDS FOR.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE OVER 300 LOGOS REPRESENTING VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THAT LEADS TO CONFUSION FOR THE PUBLIC, WHICH CAN DILUTE TRUST IN THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE AND CREATE INEFFICIENCIES IN HOW WE DO BUSINESS.
THROUGH COMMUNITY FEEDBACK SESSIONS, WE LEARN THAT A LARGE MAJORITY OF AUSTINITES DON'T HAVE RECOGNITION OF, OR A STRONG AFFINITY FOR THE CITY SEAL, WHICH HAS BEEN USED IN PLACE OF A LOGO.
OUR NEW BRAND WAS SHAPED BY FEEDBACK FROM A DIVERSE CROSS SECTION OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND CITY EMPLOYEES IN SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS WITH A WIDE ARRAY OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AUSTINITES TOLD US THAT THEY VALUE AND APPRECIATE THEIR INTERACTION WITH CITY STAFF, BUT THEY ALSO WANT A MODERN GOVERNMENT THAT REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY'S VALUES AND IS CONSISTENT, CONNECTED AND RESPONSIVE ACROSS DEPARTMENTS AND SERVICES.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS BRAND DOES.
NOW I WILL TURN IT OVER TO JESSICA KING, OUR COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, TO SHARE MORE ABOUT HOW THIS BRAND EVOLVED.
JESSICA? THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER
[00:05:01]
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY.TODAY IS THE CULMINATION OF SEVERAL YEARS OF WORK.
BACK IN 2018, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED ESTABLISHING A CONSISTENT AND CLEAR BRAND CITY OF AUSTIN BRAND.
AS PART OF OUR CITY'S STRATEGIC PLAN TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES AND EMPLOYEES LIKE OUR CURRENT CITY COUNCIL.
THEY RECOGNIZED THAT AUSTINITES STRUGGLE TO IDENTIFY AND CONNECT WITH CITY PROGRAMS, SERVICES, AND RESOURCES.
THE PHRASE I DIDN'T KNOW THE CITY DID, THAT WAS A PHRASE THEY HEARD FREQUENTLY.
AND THAT'S WHY THIS EFFORT IS SO IMPORTANT.
A UNIFIED BRAND MAKES CITY SERVICES EASIER TO RECOGNIZE, NAVIGATE, AND TRUST.
IT ENSURES THAT WE PLACE OUR FOCUS ON CONTINUALLY DELIVERING THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICES TO AUSTINITES INSTEAD OF SPREADING OURSELVES THIN ACROSS A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT BRANDS, BRANDS THAT ARE ALL OVER THE CITY.
THIS FIRST EVER AUSTIN BRAND WAS SHAPED BY ENGAGEMENT AND FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES.
THE MARKET ITSELF REFLECTS HILLS, RIVERS, AND BRIDGES THAT CONNECT US TO ONE ANOTHER.
THE COLORS WERE INSPIRED BY SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT, VIOLET, CROWN SKIES, AND THE GREEN CANOPIES OF OUR PARKS AND TRAILS.
WE DELIBERATELY CHOSE A MARK THAT REMINDED US OF MOVEMENT TO REFLECT HOW WELCOMING, FLEXIBLE, AND RESILIENT THIS COMMUNITY AND OUR EMPLOYEES ARE.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS COHESIVE BRAND IS MORE THAN A LOGO.
IT'S A REFLECTION OF WHO AUSTIN'S LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS AND HOW IT'S REPRESENTED.
WE ARE ONE AUSTIN, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO PRESENT OURSELVES IN A UNIFIED WAY.
A UNIFIED BRAND SYSTEM WILL HELP ENSURE OUR COMMUNITY CAN EASILY IDENTIFY, CONNECT TO, AND NAVIGATE CITY PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
IT WILL HELP FURTHER BREAK DOWN SILOS BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES TO STRENGTHEN AND MAKE OUTREACH EFFORTS MORE MEMORABLE, THEREBY HELPING US STRETCH EVERY DOLLAR AND CONNECTING WITH AUSTINITES.
A UNIFIED BRAND PRESENTS US WITH A CONSISTENT LOOK, FEEL, AND VOICE REINFORCING THAT EVERY DEPARTMENT IS PART OF ONE CITY, THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO HOW DOES THIS GET ROLLED OUT? WE ARE TAKING A FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE APPROACH TO TRANSITION TO A NEW BRAND.
WE DO NOT EXPECT DEPARTMENTS TO RUN OUT AND BUY EVERYTHING THE NEW, WITH THE NEW BRAND.
IN FACT, THEY'VE SPECIFICALLY BEEN TOLD NOT TO DO THAT UNLESS THEY HAVE A REGULAR BUSINESS NEED.
INSTEAD, AS THINGS LIKE UNIFORMS AND VEHICLES REACH THEIR NATURAL END OF LIFE, THEIR REPLACEMENTS WILL CARRY THE NEW CITY LOGO.
WE'VE TALKED WITH MANY PEER CITIES WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
OTHER CITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, LAUNCHED CITY OF SEATTLE IN PARTICULAR, LAUNCHED A NEW BRAND ALMOST A DECADE AGO, AND THEY'VE TOLD US THEY ARE JUST NOW GETTING TO A POINT WHERE ALL OF THEIR ASSETS, LIKE UNIFORM SIGNS AND VEHICLES HAVE UPDATED THEIR BRAND.
WHAT THE PUBLIC WILL SEE BEGINNING OCTOBER ONE IS A CHANGE ON OUR DIGITAL ASSETS.
SO OUR WEBSITE NEWSLETTERS, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS, THIS CAN BE DONE WITH NO ADDED COST TO THE CITY.
AND GIVEN THE DIGITAL WORLD WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, THIS WILL HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON ITS OWN.
ONE THING THAT WON'T CHANGE ARE THE UNIFORMS OF OUR PUBLIC, OF OUR PUBLIC SAFETY STAFF.
IT'S IMPORTANT OUR RESIDENTS TRUST THE PUBLIC SAFETY STAFF WHO RESPOND DURING EMERGENCIES.
AUSTIN POLICE, AUSTIN FIRE, AND AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY EMS UNIFORMS WILL NOT BE CHANGING.
I WANNA TAKE A MOMENT TO PUBLICLY THANK TKO ADVERTISING AND PENTA GRAND DESIGN AUSTIN, THE TWO FIRMS WE PARTNERED WITH TO JOIN US ON THIS JOURNEY.
TKO IS AN AUSTIN BASED AGENCY SPECIALIZING IN BRAND STORYTELLING.
ELLE GARZA, MONICA OLA, ALONG WITH THEIR PARTNER IN THIS EFFORT, JENNIFER SARVER FROM SARVER STRATEGIES WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN THE DISCOVERY PROCESS, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT, TESTING AND VALIDATION, VERBAL IDENTITY, AND CREATING AN OUTREACH CAMPAIGN.
PENTAGRAM DESIGN IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED DESIGN FIRM WITH AUSTIN BASED OFFICE AND TEAM, INCLUDING PARTNER DJ STOUT AND ASSOCIATE PARTNER DELTA MURPHY, WHO LED THE VISUAL BRAND DESIGN BECAUSE THEIR TEAMS HAVE DEEP CONNECTIONS TO AUSTIN, THEY QUICKLY UNDERSTOOD THE CHALLENGE, EMBRACED IT, AND HELPED US DEVELOP A BEAUTIFUL BRAND SYSTEM THAT I BELIEVE WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF.
SO NOW YOU'VE SEEN THE BRAND, YOU KNOW THE WHY.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE DJ AND THE DJ AND DELTA AND THE DESIGN TEAM TO JOIN ME UP HERE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DID.
YOU, SO DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? SO FOR THE WHOLE DESIGN PROCESS, UM, THE COUNCIL CONTRACT AWARDED A CONTRACT TO TWO LOCAL FIRMS, TWO FIRMS THAT HAVE A STRONG PRESENCE IN AUSTIN.
THAT CONTRACT WAS ABOUT $564,000.
[00:10:01]
UM, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT WENT TOWARDS THE OUTREACH ENGAGEMENT, UH, THE DESIGN ELEMENTS ABOUT, UH, FOCUSED MORE IN THIS SPACE.AND THEN WE, THAT WAS, I THINK ABOUT $200,000 JUST FOR THE ACTUAL DESIGN ELEMENT.
UM, BUT OVERALL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER ABOUT 1.1 MILLION.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, I'M SORRY.
WHAT SENSE? WHAT MAKES OH, THE COLORS? YES, THE COLORS.
UM, SO THE COLORS, BLUES AND GREENS, UH, WE HAVE, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NEW TO AUSTIN, UM, WE ARE KNOWN FOR OUR VIOLET BLUE SKIES, VIOLET CROWN, BLUE SKIES.
UM, AND THAT BLUE WAS REALLY A REFLECTION OF ALL THE WORK, UM, THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
SO BLUE WAS A VERY CONNECTED SPACE.
WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF WATER IN THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, THAT WAS ANOTHER DESIGN REASON.
UM, AND THE GREENS ALSO, UH, WE HAVE A, WE ARE KNOWN AS AN URBAN PARK OR A PARK WITHIN A CITY.
AND SO OUR TREE CANOPY IS A BEAUTIFUL CANOPY THAT WE HAVE THAT'S GREEN AND AND LUSH.
AND SO THAT IS A REFLECTION IN OUR COMMUNITY.
I'VE ACTUALLY, I SHOULD HAVE ACTUALLY ASKED DJ TO SHARE THAT BECAUSE THE DESIGN TEAM IS THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY CAME THROUGH WITH THAT.
SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE? YEAH.
THE, UH, THE COLOR BLUE, UM, WE'VE BEEN SORT OF INTERNALLY CALLING IT, UH, UH, VIOLET CROWN BLUE, OUR TEAM BECAUSE OF THE SKIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE WESTERN SKIES IN AUSTIN, UH, HAVE THIS SORT OF VIOLET BLUEISH COLOR AND, UH, IN THE, IN THE EVENING.
AND THE, THE GREEN, UH, DEFINITELY IS BECAUSE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHERE THE HILL COUNTRY STARTS BECAUSE OF ALL THE GREENERY, ALL THE, THE THING ABOUT AUSTIN THAT'S REALLY SURPRISING TO PEOPLE, UH, WHO DON'T, WHO HAD NEVER BEEN TO AUSTIN, IS JUST HOW GREEN IT IS.
HOW WE HAVE THIS, ALL THE TREES, THE, YOU KNOW, EVEN OUR, UH, SOCCER TEAM, YOU KNOW, CELEBRATES THE COLOR GREEN.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE ALL, ALL THE COLORS SEEM VERY APPROPRIATE TO, TO AUSTIN AND THE AUSTIN, UH, POINT OF VIEW AND, AND KIND OF STATE OF MIND, THE FUNDING CAME FROM OUR FISCAL YEAR 2024 AND 2025 BUDGETS.
AND YES, WE ARE A GENERAL FUND DEPARTMENT, SO IT DID COME FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
I WOULD TELL THEM THIS ACTUALLY CREATES A LOT OF EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION.
SO I WOULD GO BACK TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 300 PLUS, THREE HUNDRED'S A LOW, UM, ESTIMATION OF THE DIFFERENT BRANDS THAT ARE ACROSS THE CITY.
THAT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO MAINTAIN AND TO REINFORCE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
UM, UNIFYING US UNDER ONE BRAND DOES A LOT OF THINGS INCLUDING CREATIVE EFFICIENCY.
SO IN ADDITION TO HELPING OUR AUSTINITES, ALL OF THE AUSTINITES BUSINESSES, EVERYONE REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IS A CITY OF AUSTIN PRESENCE, UM, WHAT IS A CITY OF AUSTIN PROGRAM AND SERVICE, UM, IT ALSO HELPS US BECOME A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFICIENT IN HOW WE DO BUSINESS.
UM, IT, IT ENSURES THAT WE'RE REALLY CO PUTTING EVERYTHING INTO ONE SPACE THAT ALLOWS US TO, UM, REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE HAVE TO DO TO DO ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO.
UM, A GOOD EXAMPLE IS WE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE TEMPLATES.
SO A LOT OF DESIGN HAS ALREADY BEEN CREATED, AND SO STAFF WON'T HAVE TO RECREATE OR START FROM SCRATCH ON DEVELOPING THINGS.
AND WE'LL SEE ECONOMIES OF SCALES LIKE ANY BUSINESS, UM, WE REALLY, WHEN YOU CREATE BRAND NEW THINGS OVER AND OVER, THE COSTS INCREASE.
BUT IF YOU CAN WORK WITHIN A SYSTEM AND WITHIN A STRUCTURE, UM, THAT IS, THAT REALLY RESONATES ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, THEN IT'S EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE AND WE CAN CONNECT WITH OUR AUSTINITES IN A MORE EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT WAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, SIR.
THE SEAL WILL NOT CHANGE AT THIS MOMENT.
THIS IS, UM, OUR FOCUS IS REALLY ON MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE A STRONG BRAND PRESENCE AND THAT'S WHY IT WILL TAKE TIME.
SO THAT WILL, THAT WILL CHANGE OVER TIME.
AND THEN FOR THE DESIGN TEAM,
SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT, LET ME, LET ME START BY PREFACING THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF WORK AT THE VERY FRONT, FRONT END.
WE WORKED WITH QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS, GATHERING INPUT.
WE HAD FOCUS GROUPS WITH THE COMMUNITY GENERALLY, AND AT LARGE WE MET WITH CITY EMPLOYEES TOO.
SO A LOT OF, A LOT OF BASE INFORMATION WAS DEVELOPED FIRST, AND THEN WE MOVE TO THE DESIGN PHASE AND THEN ITERATED.
BUT I WILL LEAN ON RAUL TO SHARE THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS AND THEN ALSO, UH, SPEAK WITH, UH, OR HAVE
[00:15:01]
DJ SPEAK TO KIND OF THE DESIGN WORK OR DELTA SPEAK WITH THE DESIGN WORK.ONE OF THE THINGS THAT Y'ALL SHOULD BE THE MOST PROUD OF REGARDING THE LOGO IS THAT IT REFLECTS COMMUNITY INPUT AND THE LEADERSHIP OF AUSTIN AS WELL AS THE CREATIVE MINDS THAT FINALIZED IT.
SO WE BEGAN THE PROCESS AND OUR CITY MANAGER SAID, WE WANT A PRESENCE AND A BRAND THAT WE CAN LIVE UP TO, BUT THAT WE CAN LEAN INTO.
AND YOU SEE THIS COMING TOGETHER IN A BRAND THAT REFLECTS COMING TOGETHER, THAT REFLECTS ENERGY, THAT REFLECTS COLORS.
SO THE PROCESS THAT GOT US THERE WAS LISTENING SESSIONS WITH, UH, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, UH, RESIDENTIAL GROUPS, LEADERS, ELECTED OFFICIALS.
WE HAD A SERIES OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS WHERE WE LEARNED WHERE PEOPLE'S CONNECTIVITIES AND DISCONNECTIONS TO CITY SERVICES AND LACK OF INFORMATION WAS THAT INFORMED THE WAY THAT WE SET A STRUCTURE IN PLACE TO LIFT UP THE BIGGEST ELEMENTS OF THE BRAND, WHICH AGAIN, ARE CONNECTIVITY, UNITY, EQUITY, AND YOU SEE SOME POSITIVITY HERE.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO BE UNIQUELY AUSTIN AND THAT REQUIRED, UH, THE VOICES OF THE COMMUNITY ITSELF.
I'LL LET Y'ALL TALK ABOUT THE WAY THAT, UH, THAT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT WAS TURNED INTO A CREATIVE DELIVERABLE.
UM, ONCE THE BATON WAS PASSED TO US, THE, UH, DESIGN TEAM, UM, IT WAS A HUGE KEY IN PART OF OUR EXPLORATIONS WHERE WE DID LOTS OF LOGO EXPLORATIONS, UM, AND COLLABORATED WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN TEAM TO NARROW IT DOWN TO THE OPTION THAT FELT BEST FOR, UM, THE CITY AND ALL OF ITS GOALS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
UM, AND WE'LL BE, I'LL BE WALKING AROUND AND AVAILABLE IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.