The City of Austin is launching its first-ever brand aimed at improving the City’s engagement with and service to the community. The new brand was shaped by feedback from a diverse cross-section of community members and City employees.

The Austin City Council voted in 2018 to make developing a cohesive brand for the City a strategic priority. Years in the making, the City’s brand will officially launch on Oct. 1, with a new look for digital assets such as the City’s website, department web pages, social media profiles and newsletters.

“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,” Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax said. “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.”

The City’s branded assets will change gradually over the coming years to minimize impact on the City budget. While newly produced materials and digital properties such as social media, websites, and digital signs will display the new Austin brand beginning Oct.1, items such as uniforms, facility signage, and vehicles will transition based on department schedules to update or replace such items at the end of their service life.

What will not change are the uniforms of the Austin Police, the Austin Fire, and the Austin—Travis County Emergency Medical Service (EMS). It is important for Austinites to trust and recognize their public safety responders.

The City contracted with two companies to help develop the new brand: TKO, an Austin-based agency specializing in brand storytelling, and Pentagram, an internationally renowned design firm with an Austin-based office and team, including partner DJ Stout who led the visual brand design for the City of Austin.
 

The Need For a Brand

The City’s official seal, created in 1916 by a San Francisco illustrator for a flag design contest, is not a brand, and does not promote the City’s distinctive values and mission. As Austin has grown over the last century, its identity has become increasingly fragmented and outdated with dozens of departments represented by their own brand identities. Currently, the City has more than 300 logos depicting various City departments and programs.

In surveys and focus groups with community members—including representatives of nearly two-dozen civic organizations—respondents say they value and appreciate their interactions 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.

This brand program is a strategic modernization, not just a visual update. As the community continues to grow at a rapid pace, it is essential that Austinites understand the services and resources the City provides. A unified brand achieves this through:

• Clear and consistent communications that make it easier for residents to recognize and trust City services.
• Enhanced collaboration that encourages interdepartmental cooperation, leading to more innovative solutions to enhanced service delivery.
• A renewed commitment to transparency and accountability, strengthening confidence in responsible stewardship of public resources

“The logo itself reflects the hills, rivers, and bridges that serve to connect us to one another. The colors were inspired by our 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,” City of Austin Chief Communications Director Jessica King said. “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 is represented. We are one Austin – and it is important that we present ourselves in a unified way.”

Learn more about the City of Austin’s brand.