A small but lively group of residents attended the public input meeting for the municipal branding project on Thursday evening at Meaford Hall, and at the question of the night was simple. What is wrong with out current logo?
Consultant Linda Reader who has been contracted by the municipality to develop a new branding strategy including creation of a new logo and slogan, made a presentation which explained the process undertaken to establish what the Meaford 'brand' is, and how best to represent that to the world outside of Meaford's borders.
Though the turnout was light, those that did attend had much to offer in the way of opinions, and it quickly became clear that the overwhelming majority did not feel that the five logo options presented reflected the essence of Meaford.
One attendee questioned why the consulting firm had elected to produce stylized rather than representational logo designs, suggesting that a stylized approach would be better suited to a larger, more urban municipality.
In fact, the consensus was that the current Meaford logo with a little sprucing up and modernizing would be the best choice for future branding of Meaford as it captures the natural beauty, agricultural heritage, and the waterfront living afforded by the area.
When it came to slogans though, the room was somewhat divided. The slogan “Shaped by the Shore” which is the preferred choice of the consultant seemed to have lukewarm acceptance though there was a push to retain the use of the word “bay” in any new municipal slogan.
Some expressed satisfaction with the current “Meaford by the Bay” while others found slogans such as “It's better by the Bay”, or “Shaped by the Bay” to be catchy and representative of Meaford.
Other concerns expressed had little to do with the branding ideas presented, but had everything to do with the state of municipal financial affairs, and whether or not it was wise at this time to be looking at re-branding Meaford.
“We have a lot of other issues that need to be addressed,” suggested one resident who pointed out that the cost of changing signs, municipal vehicle decals, and other items that display the municipal logo would be significant.
When discussing the potential for freshening up the current logo with current colours and shades, and perhaps mildly stylizing that logo, many thought that such an approach would allow the revamped logo to be gradually phased in which would spread the cost over a longer period of time.
The next step in the process will be a report from the consultant that will be presented to council before a final decision is made.
CAO Frank Miele who attended the meeting, suggested that it is likely that final decision about a revised branding of Meaford would likely be held off until after the election which would allow the new council to have input into the new logo and branding strategy.
