The Municipality of Grey Highlands will be asking the public for input on a new brand proposed for the community.
At its meeting on Sept. 4, Grey Highlands council approved moving forward with public engagement on a proposed new brand for the municipality.
Grey Highlands staff from the corporate services, communications and economic development departments have been working to put together a new brand for the municipality. The current Grey Highlands brand has been in place since amalgamation in 2001.
Jerri-Lynn Levitt, director of corporate services, presented the proposed new brand to council at the meeting and the reviews and comments from councillors were positive.
“It’s bold, it’s clear, it stands out,” Levitt said, after the brand was shown to council on the large screens in the council chambers.
The proposed new brand features “Grey Highlands” with the “g” and “h” in Highlands emphasized in green, with a tagline of “grow here” and four sprouting plants.
“Designed with simplicity and clarity, it seamlessly incorporates the abbreviated "gh" to underline the tagline "grow here," which encapsulates our invitation and promise to all who wish to grow - in family, farming, business, or personal fulfillment - within our welcoming borders,” Levitt said in her written report to council.
The current brand used by Grey Highlands will continue to be used as part of a new corporate crest for Grey Highlands that will be used on all mayor and council correspondence and for official documentation.
The proposed new brand was well-received by members of council.
“I like the concept. It’s an exciting concept,” said Coun. Tom Allwood.
The only change council requested was adding a fifth sprouting plant to the logo. Coun. Paul Allen noted that prior to Grey Highlands forming in 2001, Flesherton had existed as a separate village until 1998 when it amalgamated with Artemesia Township. Allen suggested a fifth leaf to represent Flesherton and council agreed.
Council also approved a plan to take the proposed brand out for public engagement over the next several months. The public engagement will include a survey of local residents through the municipality’s website.
Coun. Dan Wickens praised the look of the new brand, but asked how much it was going to cost to implement it. Wickens cited the cost of the recent rebranding by Brightshores Health Services (formerly Grey Bruce Health Services).
“I really like the look of it. It looks good,” said Wickens. “I don’t like the idea of heading into this without knowing what it’s going to cost.”
Levitt and CAO Karen Govan explained that implementation of the new brand would be a low-cost project. The plan is to replace branding on vehicles in the municipality’s fleet as they are purchased and not all at once. Govan also noted that municipal staff have the expertise to change over to the new brand for digital communications themselves.
“We feel we could do this very economically,” said Levitt.
