On Sept. 4, Austin officers unveiled the town’s first-ever unified model brand as a part of a $1.1 million rebranding challenge, however the brand new wavy blue and inexperienced “A” has already sparked backlash from residents and critics who in contrast it to a math textbook writer’s brand.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex., blasted the challenge throughout an look on The Will Cain Present saying metropolis leaders “need to go spend 1,000,000 {dollars} on a rebrand, eliminate a cross and make it some form of, , a woke-looking band emblem.”
He accused the Texas metropolis officers of prioritizing symbolism over security. “We have now individuals in Austin who don’t get their 911 calls answered. You could have those that have seen a rise in crime in Austin as a result of they have been going after, gutting and chopping the police power.”
The rebrand dates again to 2018, when the Metropolis Council voted to determine a “constant and clear model” throughout metropolis departments.
Austin presently makes use of greater than 300 completely different logos, in keeping with a Metropolis of Austin press launch.
Metropolis Supervisor T.C. Broadnax defended the initiative. “For the primary time in Austin’s historical past, we can have a brand to signify the town companies and unify us as one group, one Austin.”
The rollout begins Oct. 1, 2025, beginning with digital property like the town’s web site, social media and newsletters.
Bodily property resembling uniforms, autos and signage will transition regularly “to attenuate impression on the Metropolis finances,” in keeping with the discharge.
Price range paperwork present the entire rebrand price at $1,117,558, together with $200,000 for design, $640,000 for distributors and $115,000 for public consciousness campaigns, KXAN reported.
Jessica King, Austin’s Chief Communications Director, mentioned, “The emblem itself displays the hills, rivers, and bridges that serve to attach us to at least one one other.
The colours have been impressed by our surrounding setting – violet crown skies and the inexperienced canopies of our parks and trails.”
Designer DJ Stout of Pentagram admitted the method was “the final word design by committee” and that “Austin is a bit of liberal island, politically.”
Residents blasted the redesign on-line. “The brand new brand sucks. It appears to be like like a homeless tent,” one advised KXAN.
Others known as it “a foul biotech’s firm rebranding,” whereas Chron notes one Instagram consumer merely wrote, “Bruhhhh.”
Some defended the look as “extra minimalist” and “positively a modernization of the previous one.”
Advertising and marketing professor Chris Aarons supplied perspective to KXAN. “The Coca Cola was only a script, but it surely’s an attractive script. However over 120 years, they made it imply happiness. It’s actually what the entity makes that brand imply on the finish of the day.”
The Metropolis of Austin and Pentagram Austin didn’t instantly reply to Fox Information Digital’s request for remark.
