Barrington wants to refresh village logo
Barrington has hired a company to remake the village logo and handle other chores connected to a planned update for the town's public image.
Village board members approved an $11,500 contract with Chicago-based a5 Branding + Digital for its assistance as part of the project for the logo and a new slogan undertaken by Barrington's communications, marketing and events department.
Officials said Barrington's brand, which includes the tagline "A Great Place to Live, Work and Play," has not been significantly updated since 2010. Work on Barrington's new public look is expected to be completed by late spring.
Patty Dowd Schmitz, who heads Barrington's communications department, said the village received three sealed proposals for the rebranding campaign. The three companies made presentations to Barrington officials in February.
Schmitz said a5's work on several municipal projects placed it ahead of the other firms. Village board members approved the $11,500 contract at a recent meeting.
"Just from the presentation that a5 did, and all the wayfinding signage that they've done and different executions of branding in a village setting, they just have a lot more experience," she said. "So, I think we'll be happy."
A5's suburban work includes that in Elgin, Woodstock and Hanover Park, which received a new brand and logo late last year.
Under the company's proposal for Barrington, a5 will refresh the logo, which features an image of an old train depot. The company will provide three or four concepts for the logo, which the company says will not be completely redesigned.
A5 also detailed how it plans to create a new tagline to replace "A Great Place to Live, Work and Play." The company projects 15 to 25 options for village review before two rounds of refinements and a final selection.
"To create a memorable, impactful and actionable tagline, a5 would work to understand your goals and what differentiates Barrington from other communities," the company wrote to village officials.
Amid some fanfare at a Hanover Park village board meeting in December, officials revealed the new logo - a stylized multicolored globe - to symbolize the town's harmonious diversity as it celebrates its 60th anniversary throughout this year. "America's Global Village" is Hanover Park's new tagline.
Barrington officials said a5's work on branding will coincide with a redesigned village website.