Lincolnshire restarting rebranding project
Lincolnshire officials are resuscitating long-dormant plans for a rebranding campaign that would include a new municipal logo.
The goal, officials said, is to differentiate Lincolnshire from other suburbs.
"It's competitive out there," Mayor Elizabeth Brandt said. "We want Lincolnshire to be noticed and maintain its place as a desirable place to live, work, stay and play."
Officials also want to project a consistent image of the village and build a sense of community culture, according to a memo.
Creating a new village logo is key to the plan.
The current logo, which was adopted in 1976, features a curving "L" adorned with three maple leaves. The leaves represent a group of three trees near the Des Plaines River that were a natural landmark for Potawatomi gatherings.
Brandt called the design "dated."
"It's not necessarily the image we want to convey," she said.
Lincolnshire officials first started toying with rebranding in 2014, hiring a Chicago company to develop a new logo and a public-relations campaign. The board wasn't moved by any of its concepts, though, and took no action.
Former Lincolnshire resident Erin Rice proposed possible logo designs as part of a class project while attending the University of Notre Dame in 2016. But again, village officials took no action.
Rice graduated in 2017 and now lives in Orlando. But she's back at work on the project.
She and village officials discussed her progress during a committee-of-the-whole meeting Wednesday night.
Rice has been instructed to come up with a logo that uses the village's full name but has the "L" stand alone. Additionally, officials have requested a colorful logo that represents the village's parks and forest preserves. A three-leaf motif has been requested, too.
As Rice works on designs, village staff will prepare a timeline and strategy for rolling out the new logo, Village Administrator Brad Burke said. Cost estimates will be developed, too.
Rice, who couldn't be reached for comment Thursday, will be paid about $7,100 for her work. The final fee is dependent on how much time it takes to develop the final design, Burke said.
If approved, a new logo would appear on village letterhead, the village website, vehicles, entry signs, street signs and elsewhere.
A plan to replace some village signs and streetlights has been delayed until the rebranding project concludes, Brandt said.
The village board likely will discuss the project again in May.