Galway City Council unveil new logo less than a week after councillors were told rebrand was being paused
Less than a week after Galway City councillors were told the Council rebrand was pausing to “take time to listen,” the new design branding has been formally launched.
Galway City Council has revealed its chosen visual expression for all Council branding and its introduction to services, wraps, and marketing resources will roll out on a phased basis.
The design draws on Galway’s civic and maritime heritage. The lower-case, maroon ‘g’ reflects the form of the hull of the ship represented in the City’s Coat of Arms, while its style also draws on the tradition of seanchló, the historic script used in Irish.
The explanation of the Galway ‘g’ new logo. © Galway City Council
The Council confirmed that the Coat of Arms will remain a part of the brand family and the Council’s civic identity. It will remain in use on the official seal of the City and in other formal civic contexts, including the chains of office of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Last week, the Irish Independent had sight of correspondence from the Council stating a pause to rebrand traction to “take a breath” and “listen further” after it had observed discussion around the project focused more on the Galway logo than on changes to the city’s broader brand identity.
In light of the rebrand announcement, Leonard Cleary, Chief Executive of Galway City Council said: “This project is about more than changing a logo. Galway City Council provides and supports a very wide range of services, from housing, roads and fire services to planning, environmental protection, tourism and community supports.”
“We need to make it easier for people to recognise the role of the Council and the services we provide. The new identity is one part of that work, while also reflecting Galway’s civic heritage and the important place of the Irish language in the city.”
The rollout of the new branding will be gradual, Mr Cleary added, taking place when assets and materials are due for replacement.
Rebrand wrapped on bins. © Galway City Council
Rebrand wrapped on Council service vehicles. © Galway City Council
“New stationery will carry the new identity as part of the move to Council’s new corporate headquarters at Crown Square. Digital materials and email signatures will be updated in the coming weeks, while physical assets such as bin wraps and hoardings will adopt the new identity when they are next renewed.”
It is noted that email signatures from Communications staff already reflect the new branding material.
The push for a rebrand was made after a communications review found a disconnect in public knowledge of Council services. Turas Brandas took over designing three visual expressions at the cost of €28,000 from which the primary brand was chosen.
A consultation period was conducted in the lead up to choosing a design through an e-newsletter circulated by the Galway City Community Network to its members. Additionally, an email was sent directly to Elected Members, Oireachtas members, staff, Strategic Policy Committee members, and business/community representatives with the survey details.
The Council told the Irish Independent that 37 responses were received.
Full details of the Galway City Council Brand Strategy will be published online.
The Irish Independent reached out to Galway City Council for comment.