"G" Is For Generous?

The City of Georgetown (TX) just paid an image consulting firm $44K to provide the city with a new "brand." Helluva deal. We get a cursive "G" above 1848 and that above the cute (in the sense of icky) tagline: "Sincerely yours." I am verging on a Lewis Black rant here. 44 big ones for "Sincerely yours"? Since Georgetown is the seat of Williamson County, it makes perfect sense for the Williamson County Commissioners to commission a new logo for Williamson County! The Williamson County "brand" is not yet set in concrete. So the consultants for that exercise in nonsense have been paid a mere $14K as a deposit for what will come. John Kelso made me laugh out loud this AM when I read his column about Williamson County. He has already ripped Georgetown for yuppy affectation and suggested that the name of Georgetown be amended to Georgettetown. If Kelso thinks the letter W in the county nonsense stands for Weirdness, I submit that the G in the Georgetown brand stands for Goofy. If this is (fair & balanced) stupefaction, so be it.

[x Austin Business Journal]
Texas branding: Georgetown unveils new logo, tagline

The City of Georgetown introduced a new brand and logo for the town this week in an effort to boost tourism and economic growth there.

The new logo was developed through a series of brainstorming sessions that involved more than 85 citizens.

"People got very passionate when asked to describe what they loved most about Georgetown," says Christopher Damon, a partner with GX Creative Communications, the Georgetown advertising and design firm that designed the new logo after the input-gathering process.

The end result -- a logo with an oversized letter G, the 1848 establishment date, and the name of the city and state -- is one all involved say they are proud of. Sincerely yours, the accompanying tagline, was chosen for its whimsical and welcoming connotation.

Damon says the primary elements of the new logo and tagline were meant to convey feelings of warmth and sincerity while honoring Georgetown's historic past.

"Previously, the city seal and a variety of different logos or icons could be found on the city's Website and publications," says Shelly Hargrove, tourism director and Main Street program manager for Georgetown.

"The Main Street Advisory Board recognized the need to develop a single brand that can be used by businesses, nonprofits and the city."

Additionally, city officials wanted to create an image that consistently represents Georgetown in its tourism and economic development efforts.

After working through three community visioning sessions, the city passed the ideas on to a local taskforce made up of 10 Georgetown community leaders. That group then worked with GX Creative to develop the new brand.

The new logo will be incorporated into Georgetown's Web sites and introduced on city business cards, signs, vehicles and other items in the next few months, city officials say.

"The new logo ... wonderfully captures Georgetown's spirit," Mayor Gary Nelon says. "Those of us who were involved in creating the new brand are excited about it, and we hope the whole community shares in that excitement."

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

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[x Austin Fishwrap]
"W" is for... Williamson weirdness
by John Kelso

Democrats in Williamson County who are riled up because they think the "W" in the county's new proposed logo stands for George W. need not get their panties in a wad.

This is because the logo really has nothing to do with President Bush. See, since we're talking about Williamson County, what the "W" in the logo stands for is actually "white."

As in, "You know, there sure are a lot of white folks around these parts."

What the logo doesn't have anything to do with is Elmer Fudd trying to say "wiberal." If Fudd was wookin' for wiberals, he's wookin' in the wong pwace.

To find enough Democrats in Williamson County to get a bridge tournament going, you need a court order to exhume — and a backhoe. A Democrat couldn't get elected inspector of hides in Williamson if he spotted them two hides and a coyote to be named later. If there's anyone there who has a Country Joe and the Fish record from the '60s, his house is under surveillance.

So it should come as no surprise that the county is considering a new logo topped by a huge W, along with the message "Williamson County 1848." Why 1848? That's the average birth year of Sun City residents. No, seriously, 1848 is the year the county was founded.

Another thing you can be sure of is that the W doesn't stand for "wild." "Williamson County" and "party on down" are mutually exclusive. About the biggest hoedown this place ever saw was when the former sheriff got caught taking a leak on the side of the road.

What I can't figure out is why a conservative county like Williamson would spring for so much money for such an unimaginative logo. The county paid GX Creative Communications $12,000 to come up with the logo. For $12,000, you'd think GX could have put a cowboy hat on top of the W.

If you think the county got billed, you oughta see the City of Georgetown. Georgetown paid $44,000 to come up with its logo, which features a big G. As in George. Or as in, "Gee, that sure is a lot of money for a G."

The Williamson County commissioners will bring up the big W logo on Jan. 18 to perhaps decide if they want to make it the official logo. There's talk of sticking it on stationery, business cards, the sides of cars and maybe on road signs.

Road signs? Bad idea. Let's say you're some ponytailed Democrat from Minnesota and you're just passing through, looking for a place to eat. And you see a big W in front of one of those chain restaurants along I-35. You're probably not going to think the W stands for "welcome," if you catch my drift. So you're probably going to keep going and spend your money elsewhere.

Personally, I think Williamson County should have flaunted its law and order theme in the new logo. On I-10 in Arizona on Sunday, I saw a guy in a jumpsuit lying on his stomach on the side of the road, with his hands cuffed. A cop had his boot in the middle of the guy's back, to make sure he didn't get up.

Williamson County could use an illustration of a similar scene, along with the slogan: "Welcome to Williamson County. You're Next."

John Kelso's humor column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

Copyright © 2004 Austin American-Statesman