City of Janesville Case Study

Proposed Civic Brand Identity Refresh: Truth in Tradition

The Challenge

Janesville has been heading in a more progressive direction over the last few years. With a new focus on the development of the downtown area, the new mural installations showcasing Janesville’s deep rooted history, and the notion of a community on the rise, the topic of progression remains a constant.

The idea of change can be a touchy one. When it comes to the challenge of developing a refreshed brand identity for an entire city, the first question that usually presents itself is why fix what has been in place for so long? Secondly, how do we get an entire community and city council to welcome the idea of change?

The Solution

In order to make real meaningful change happen, it starts with listening and learning. Listening to the voices and stories of the people in the Janesville community and learning what makes the city special to them.

The notion of this identity refresh isn’t a matter of fixing something that is broken, rather, it’s exploring the possibilities of change, growth, and progression. It’s about learning from Janesville’s history and the many things that makes Janesville the place that we’re excited to call home.

This civic brand identity refresh aligns Janesville’s rich history with the present day values to craft a future that focuses on community, culture, progression, and adventure among other things- all while embracing Janesville’s traditions.

Project Scope

Research & Discovery, Copywriting, Brand Identity Design, Print Design, Signage & Environmental Design, Motion Graphics, and Video Production.

Synopsis

This “Truth in Tradition” proposed brand identity refresh for the City of Janesville embodies the many facets that make Janesville a city full of history, adventure, and community. Through a creative and mindful approach, this brand exploration welcomes community members to pay homage to Janesville’s roots, while embracing the future of Wisconsin’s Park Place.

Objectives

• Honoring and celebrating the stories that Janesville has to offer

• Attract more business, tourism, and promote community morale

• Merge the gap between Janesville’s past, present, and future

• Explore new opportunities that stimulate the local economy

• Foster education within the community about Janesville’s history
• Preserve the historical character of Janesville through positive change

Design

A story-driven identity direction was crafted to highlight the City of Janesville. Using symbolism, we were able to tell that story with a new pictorial logo mark.

• We conveyed the original four wards of Janesville with four rows of tree branches
• We showcased the letter J to represent Janesville
• We display an up arrow to hint at the rise of the Janesville community

• We represent the native tribes with the fletching of a Sauk arrow
• We highlight Janesville’s history with a Tallman House pine tree
• We use this tree to symbolize Janesville as Wisconsin’s Park Place

Motion Graphic

We created a fun motion graphic sequence using the new logo design to showcase some of the symbolism in the logo and to bring more life to the tree.

Video

We produced a video to showcase the new identity using a combination of footage from around the City of Janesville and the brand identity presentation slides from above to tell the story of Janesville’s Truth in Tradition.