"According to Pentagram partner DJ Stout, the process was a balancing act of creating an identity that was both authoritative enough for the city government and representative of the average Austinite. Already the result is generating a firestorm of negative attention on social media-but Stout says that's "completely expected" in today's divisive branding reaction ecosystem."
"In the years since its founding in 1839, Austin has developed many fragmented logos and symbols for various departments across the city, but never a cohesive brand system. By 2018, when Austin began considering a unified identity, Stout says there were more than 300 different amalgamations of logos for the city floating around. Pentagram officially started on the branding effort in October 2024 after winning an initial competition to helm the project."
"At that point, the city and TKO had already spent several months conducting surveys with citizens, stakeholders, and government employees about how the identity should show up. One of the main challenges that Stout's team faced in the brainstorming process was a common obstacle when working with bureaucratic organizations: The final look had to pass muster with multiple audiences, often with vastly different opinions and agendas. "Obviously it's meant to represent all the Austinites and everybody in the city,""
Austin unveiled its first official city branding in nearly 200 years as an homage to natural springs, rolling hills, and Austin's liberal identity within a red state. The identity, revealed September 4, includes an official logo, a wordmark, and guidelines for government online presence. Pentagram led the design after preliminary interviews and research by Austin agency TKO and surveys with citizens, stakeholders, and government employees. By 2018, more than 300 disparate city logos existed. Pentagram began work in October 2024 after winning a competition. The process required balancing government authority with representation of the average Austinite, and the rollout prompted social media backlash.
Read at Fast Company
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