In recent weeks, citizens have raised questions about the official, trademarked City logo. To address residents’ inquiries, staff has compiled a list of frequently asked questions in relation to this topic:
When was the trademarked, official Missouri City logo approved?
In an action to authorize the City’s new branding program, including a logo and tagline, City Council authorized the official, trademarked municipal logo shown here on Oct. 15, 2007:
Why was the official logo adopted?
A City news release issued on Oct. 15, 2007, explained:
- Missouri City embraces its name as an asset and announces the outcome of an 11-month branding campaign focusing on its name for the logo and tagline—THE SHOW ME CITY.
- At the time, Mayor Allen Owen said: “Research showed us that everyone has an opinion about the Missouri City name. Rather than becoming divided about it, we decided to have fun with what practically everyone knows, we’re named after a state.”
- Effective that day, the City started referencing itself as “The Show Me City” and the logo picked up the historic advertising theme: a land of sunshine and eternal summer which is a timeless and symbolic declaration.
- The logo depicts the promise of a new day with a sunrise, much like a new beginning. Former Economic Development Coordinator Bob Graf, said the new logo was “very fitting at this time since Missouri City begins another major milestone this year, another new day so to speak, having turned 50 just last year. The idea of ‘Show Me’ will center on communicating many great things about Missouri City through its most valuable asset—its people. Show me parks, for example, and will show the numerous recreational areas enjoyed by those in our community, in fact, we’ll soon be dedicating Buffalo Run Park and show, too. Show me will be used as the basis of our marketing campaign to come.”
What company developed the logo?
According to the Oct. 15, 2007 City Council Agenda Item Cover Memo:
- The City engaged North Star Destination Strategies, a national branding leader, in 2006 to perform a study to create a branding and image program for Missouri City in order to better market itself to residents, businesses and visitors. North Star made a final presentation to City Council and staff at a Sept. 4, 2007 workshop and City Council Members voted to approve the new logo at its Monday, Oct. 15, 2007 Regularly Scheduled Meeting.
- North Star developed the logo and tagline after a thorough process to understand how the community sees itself and the perceptions those outside the community have. The process included input from focus groups, stakeholder interviews, on-line surveys, mailed surveys, man-on-the-street interviews, as well as analysis of socio-economic and demographic information from well-established data services.
- The overall conclusion was that Missouri City has many positive attributes that provide the basis for the recommended brand positioning platform that targets an audience with a frame-of-reference, point-of-difference and an identified benefit. The platform is: “For people seeking a high quality of life and variety, Missouri City sits just south of Houston where planning has created deep roots and established living, but left room to grow, so you feel secure in your present but excited about the possibilities."
What does the logo graphic symbolize?
The logo depicts a sunburst reflecting a new day on the horizon, a symbol of hope.
- The use of the sun is indicative of a recurring cycle of time, visually strong.
- There are nine flared radiating straight lines of yellow to intensifying golden-rod colored rays symbolizing strength. They are distinctive and inspirational of golden opportunity linking this part of the earth with the ascending, limitless sky.
- The lettering of the City name and state is intentionally different. The use of capital letters in “CITY” is for the purpose of calling attention to the word itself with the upper case script and to further emphasize “CITY” as a part of the name—Missouri City. Historically, Missouri City has been referred to, incorrectly, as Missouri, Texas.
- The contrasting color in the logos is an emerald green, evoking the promise of life, growth and prosperity. Texas is in the logo as the composition’s finale. It affirms the State that claims Missouri City, which also proudly declares Texas as its home.
Is there a City policy on usage of the official logo?
Yes; the Missouri City logo is the core element of the City’s identity; it is one of the City’s most valuable corporate assets and usage is governed by a City policy. All uses and requests for utilization must be approved through the City’s Communications Department via phone at 281.403.8500 or email via swalker@missouricitytx.gov.
The logo is made up of two components: the symbolic representation of the sun and its rays and the formatted typeface. It may be used in black-and-white or in color. In either case, the logo should be placed on a white background whenever possible.
Staff uses the logo for all City programs and services, on City vehicles, facilities, materials, apparel, signage, monuments and merchandise.
The City has a licensing program that regulates the use of its logo on items such as shirts, caps, key chains, mugs, pens, etc. The licensing process ensures that the City’s symbols are used appropriately and only on products approved by the City. All requests for merchandise containing the City logo must be made through the Communications Department. The logo is not to be used by a business unless in the context of a co-branding effort or campaign that has been approved by the City.
A staff committee is being convened to review usage of the official logo on City facilities, signage, monuments, etc., to assure compliance with City guidelines and to assure consistency.
Do other entities utilize a logo with lowercased fonts?
Branding experts note that companies and cities who utilize an official logo with lowercase fonts to build their identity and convey their marketing message to the right audience include ebay, the Cities of Lubbock and Cleburne, macy’s, vitamin water, xerox, intel, at&t, flicker and facebook. Here are examples of some of those:
Marketing industry officials say there is a trend in this direction and the logos in lower case give an approachable and casual vibe, allowing organizations to connect easier with their target market. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School noted in 2009, that “logos have become less official-looking and more conversational.” Despite the trend, a number of businesses still follow the traditional rules of language and grammar.
For updates, please watch the City website: www.missouricitytx.gov, like us on Facebook—fb/MissouriCityTX, follow us on Twitter, Instagramand Snapchat—@MissouriCityTX, and watch Missouri City Television (Ch. 16 on Comcast and Ch. 99 on AT&T U-verse).