As Lisle looks to update brand, some question ‘Arboretum Village’ motto
As “The Arboretum Village,” Lisle has a tree logo displayed on its municipal campus and street banners around downtown.
While that tagline may have deep roots, at least one official in Lisle — the home of the Morton Arboretum — isn’t keen on the slogan. And another has suggested he’s open to exploring alternatives as part of a new village branding initiative.
Lisle Trustee Meg Sima said she’s an arboretum member, spends a lot of time there and that it’s a wonderful place. But, speaking a “little sacrilege,” she doesn’t “love ‘The Arboretum Village’ as our village motto.”
“I feel like Lisle is so much more than just ‘The Arboretum Village,” Sima said.
The village is looking to develop a refreshed brand that represents municipal government, reflects the community, and that “ultimately is going to further our economic development efforts,” Eric Ertmoed, Lisle’s economic development and strategic initiatives director, has said.
To that end, the board earlier this week hired a multidisciplinary design firm, Ohio-based Guide Studio, to provide branding services. One of the project goals is to produce an “attractive, unique, and easily recognizable visual brand identity,” according to the village’s request for proposals.
“For a long time, that's how we identify with the village. Is this replacing ‘The Arboretum Village? Is this adding to the ‘Arboretum Village?’” asked Trustee Kristy Grau.
Since Lisle has a solid reputation as such, “it's probably something we build upon, not replace,” Mayor Mary Jo Mullen said. “I think you can take that in some really interesting ways about ‘growing with Lisle’ and something that builds on it to kind of help show that we're trying to be more forward-looking.”
Trustee Michael Olson said he’s interested in embarking on the initiative to see if the tagline is “what the community and stakeholders actually identify with, or is it something that's just kind of been there for a long period of time?”
Olson noted it’s “pretty well-established throughout” the Chicago area.
However, “engaging in an exercise like this gives us the opportunity to explore that and see if maybe there are new alternatives that are worth pursuing,” he said.
Guide Studio will conduct research and community engagement as the first step in the project.
“We are experts of understanding how to build brands, how to build brand tools, but all of you and the people of your community are the experts of your place, so that engagement piece is really critical to our work,” Cathy Fromet, the firm’s president, told the board in May.
Guide Studio works on place branding, communication strategy and wayfinding, “focusing on helping you engage people, strengthen reputation and increase investment in your community,” Fromet said.
“So it's the idea that this is beyond the logo,” she said.
Before the board approved the agreement with the firm, Sima said, “There’s more to Lisle than just the arboretum.”
“I feel like maintaining our partnership with the arboretum can be a component,” she said, “but we do have a lot more to offer, and I would like to explore that.”