I gather some councillors reached out to their constituents about the new city logo that was adopted Monday night and found most of them didn’t like it.
I think council as a whole should have conducted a survey. I think it would have found out that it didn’t have a winner on its hands.
But then it undoubtedly found that out by the reception the logo got when it was rolled out on May 17, pretty well nothing nice being said about it in community discussion forums on local news websites.
I haven’t spoken with anyone who likes the logo.
FutureSSM was quoted in The Sault Star as saying the new brand is designed to attract and excite youth to Sault Ste. Marie.
The broad colour scheme is designed to mark the city’s heritage and future.
The circle represents the First Nations medicine wheel, the blue the Great Lakes, the green the foothills and the orange and red the beautiful fall foliage.
The circle apparently also represents no beginning and no ending. It is also designed to represent “a signal of connection.”
Ward 2 Coun. Luke Dufour said it’s the stories that make people understand the logo.
Personally I think that any thought of this logo telling stories is a reach.
And as was mentioned in one of the comment sections, a lot of text accompanying the logo will be required for anyone to understand what it represents.
And how is anyone going to find out about the stories? Is someone going to go door-to-door to tell them.
Actually, I think one pertinent explanation of what the logo could represent was missed.
We have a lot of Italian restaurants in the city and they are of such quality that the city is known for them.
To me the new logo looks very much like a pizza, which means it should fit right in.
I am surprised FutureSSM didn’t pick up on that.
It would be far easier to explain that than what is going to be required for what it says the new logo represents.
I probably am not one who should comment on logos because I am not really big on them. Nike’s is probably one of the few with which I am familiar.
But if I had my druthers in this case, I would have stuck with the one we had.
Although I never really got the “Naturally Gifted” motto, the logo itself at least looked pleasing to the eye.
I don’t see that in the new one which more resembles a pizza or maybe a round Rubik’s Cube.
It is hard to believe it took two years to develop the new logo and that it had a budget of $100,000, of which I gather only a portion was spent.
Whatever it was, it would seem to be too much.
I think the best way to have come up with a new logo, if indeed a new one was even required, would have been to have held a contest with a prize of $5,000 or $10,000 or something in between.
In regard to FutureSSM’s claim that the new logo is designed to excite and attract youth to the city, somehow I don’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling that this cut-up circle is going to excite anyone. The most I can see it doing is prompting the question, “What is it”
Craig Huckerby, writing on saultonline, presented a new logo design by Matt Farrell, a 20-year-old graphic designer who came up with it in 15 minutes after watching council Tuesday night.
It blends the new with the old and was a favourite of those commenting on the various news sites and Facebook.
“The biggest obstacle with the new graphic is the long term brand recognition,” Farrell told Huckerby. “The proposed logo has no elements differentiating Sault Ontario from Sault Michigan and viewers have a hard time understanding the elements without reading the brand project summary.
”If FutureSSM sees the new logo as a way to attract visitors from out of town, the logo should immediately be clear.”
Of course, it isn’t, a point not lost on Ward 4 Coun. Marchy Bruni.
“I don’t see it,” he said during the council session.
“Tourists won’t know the story about the city. A logo should speak for itself and this one does not.”
I suppose the reason I have not put much importance in logos in regard to a city is because of the futility I have seen in putting together a mission statement.
About 15 of us participated in one of those sessions when in another life I was editor of The Sault Star.
With a person from Southam head office parachuted in to lead the discussions, which took place over two days at Salzburger Hof Resort at Batchawana Bay, we finally came up with something that anyone with an ounce of sense could have put together in 15 minutes.
This was after we had gone over the same ploughed ground for two days in a futile attempt to reinvent the wheel.
Does anybody really care about logos or mission statements? I think not.
What people care about is those who are representing us getting the job done.
We now have to put the logo affair behind us and hope our councillors will do just that.
After reading everyone’s comments posted here and on Facebook I would vote to keep the old logo. It offended no one, it didn’t use symbols that were offense to some as stated in the comments here and it was simple and elegant. You simply can’t include all ethnic groups, industries and cultures into one logo, so why even try? It just makes a hash of things and creates a symbol that is difficult to understand. “Naturally Gifted” was/is brilliant in its simplicity as it reflects the water and the environment surrounding SSM which were the prime reasons for the city to establish itself here in the first place. Had it not been for the natural gift of a waterway and access to it, neither the fur trade nor the steel industry would have been possible. Natural Gifts offer summer and winter outdoor sports and great areas for for camping, hiking, fishing and cottaging. Those are the benefits that most people new to the area, as well as those who have well-established roots here, appreciate the most. Now all the city has to do is to entice more industries to locate here–no mean feat.
This new logo is just awful. How anyone can think that this will attract youth and others visitors to our city is beyond me. It looks a lot like the CBC logo. The supposed medicine wheel is not recognizable. Medicine wheels are made up of the four colours of races…black, white , red and yellow. I don’t think anyone with Native heritage would recognize that little circle of pastel colours as a medicine wheel. And as for the rest of the logo I believe the colours are pale and uninspiring. They should be bright and bold. I cannot believe City Council shelled out $100,000 on this! There are so many other ways this money could have been spent on things in this city that we really need.This city really screwed this whole thing up. We have so many talented artists in this city, I’m sure, had there been a contest, one of them would have come up with something much better like Matt Farrel did. This new logo is a loser.
It will cost a lot to change the Logo from the old one to the new one on all City Equipment.4
What a waste of time and money—The old logo meant something—The new Logo means nothing
Stop the changes now before it is too late to save money for the Taxpayers.
We are a steel town, an iron or steel sphere with the “now old” SSM logo would have said everything about the sault. I agree, there should have been a ‘contest” for our local artists. Look what that kid did in 15 mins, 4 similar but different logo’s. Much better than the one that was thrown at us at the last minute. Sad, that the Saultites as a whole didn’t have a say in what they wanted to represent their city!!!
The logo is terrible, the money spent is ridiculous and the way it was done should be classed as criminal. But my question to the mayor and Future SSM is did hard working taxpayers of the Soo pay for all those tee shirts the chosen few were wearing? If so then that is criminal.
Regardless of what our opinions are in reference to the “design”? To me the money should be spent and applied to the Drug and Homeless crisis that Sault Ste Marie is in. Denial will not cure the problems that the city is facing. How about a logo for that? 🤔
I’m sorry about this however Doug reported a story in the past that he had no facts on ‘ Fake News ‘ my name was in his article he hurt my feelings so I have no respect for terrible shady journalism!! Karma !! I was harassed in my PM by his entourage!! Beat it you know who u are !! Mind your own Business or write the FACTS !! Doug
Nope
Why did we even need a NEW logo ? Naturally gifted was easy to understand and meant something to me—This new one means ZERO to me. And I have lived here for a long time.
Amen to that brother.
Governments, being governments, don’t have to do things well, sensibly, or efficiently. Money wasted on a bad idea? No problem…they’ll just raise taxes and fees and get more when they want it. Why wasn’t a local art competition held so people could vote on a preferred design?
100%. This city’s government anyway.
I like it! Fresh and modern.
Yes people are flocking here , the highway is backed for miles wanting to see the kaleidoscope logo that will guarantee jobs and new industries
The symbol should have been made like the symbols that were on the Bondar tent that were falling off, slowly fading and forgot about.
LOL 🙂
Alway city concil looks out of town instead of encouraging localart students to make a decent logo. A real waste of money it is ludicrous
Right on Lindajane, and a wasted opportunity to support our community like you said. 🙁
The money spent on it was a great hand out,to someone.
Check. Or should we $ay Cheque 🙁
Check.or should we $ay Cheque 🙁
I agree Doug, the new logo is a puzzle seeking clarification not a logo easily identifiable and worthy of a community. Some idiots tried too hard to placate certain sectors of the community and surrounding area that has failed the majority.
The thing sucks big time.
Our indigenous allies should have been recognized in all of our city’s logos IMO.
Their historic Meeting Place is where the story of Sault Ste. Marie began, where it has grown through the coming together of many many cultures, and where our future success lies whether our city’s racists like it or not.
Where the h… was Shoemaker on this one? He is so he’ll bent on saving money and raising it with high priced parking tickets for our dead down town one might think he would object to this obvious nonsense. I liked the one we had.
Shoemaker voted against the logo. He said he liked everything about the new marketing package except the logo. He wanted the old logo updated like you Betts.
Here’s another one who doesn’t like or can get anything that says Sault Ste Marie out of it.
The logo contains a medicine wheel, which is a pagan symbol used by aboriginals, wiccans, celtics, and new agers. It is unacceptable to anyone who rejects pagan worship. Personally, I will not accept anything with this logo on it for that reason – and for the fact that the logo is simply ridiculous. FutureSSM and City Council really missed an opportunity here to involve the entire community in what could have been an enjoyable exercise at the local level. It’s an example of the disconnect between those being paid to ‘lead’ and those who are simply paying the bill.
For $100,000… ya, he could of gave us options in the first place, NOT try and shove something down our throats… sorta kinda reminds me of someone…. trudeau.
Its ugly n stupid
Q/ Who knew this logo was being developed over the past two years?
A/ 750 hand-picked people, and nobody else.
The problem is that the vast majority of Sault citizens had no idea this was being done never mind being included in its creation.
And the media, who expose citizens to the ideas and products being developed by our municipal leaders, WERE EXCLUDED so nobody in the city other than the 750 hand-picked people had any idea about a new logo until 5 days before it magically appeared (after 2 years of behind the scenes work) for approval.
Hence the backlash.
Our Mayor and Council caused this problem by not including us or the media THROUGHOUT the process.
Change is hard.
Inclusion helps.
Media inclusion is ESSENTIAL especially in this day and age of screen-bound citizens.
Perhaps you should familiarize yourself with what Futuressm is up to. They regularly report to council and their website has everything you need to know. Move on Mark.
I like the logo.
The logo is irrelevant H0nest 0pinion.
It’s the way this Mayor does everything behind closed doors with his hand-picked yes-sir-three-bags-full-sir peeps until he emerges with these grand plans he wants a yes or no on with his city council, and which he rams down the throats of us everyday citizens who are forced to pay his grand plan bills (exactly like GP said above).
Not including us citizens and bill payers in the creation of our shared grand plans for our city at big financial cost to we bill payers is what everybody is complaining about with this logo.
Of course it makes perfect sense to those who were involved, and no sense to the citizens who were not involved.
It’s supposed to represent our city, and every citizen, without exception, has THEIR OPINION about the kind of logo that represents OUR CITY.
It was a mistake to not include everyone in the logo creation at every stage of the process and especially through the media.
The Naturally Gifted form, or the Cicular Brdidge Medicine Wheel form, or a Sault Seagull Swoosh form, or any other form or combination of forms of the eventual logo could have easily been worked out in MONTH ONE of the two year process.
But this Mayor doesn’t have the time or political inclination to deal with the messy type of real citizen input and collaboration that these things take to get something that everybody is equally happy/unhappy with.
The Mayor thinks his judgement is pretty good, and it usually is on most thing, but quite obviously not on everything.
Besides he’s only got three and a half years left to execute HIS GRAND PLAN for our city that we will all pay for ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
Like I said @H_0, the logo doesn’t matter. Inclusion matters. Especially media inclusion.
The Mayor could have avoided all this backlash if he had simply invited everyone to join this city-representing initiative like he should have.
Your journalism SUCKS YOU BECER HAVE THE STORY RIGHT !! Get a real Job
Michelle Penrice-Boland …what?
Michelle Penrice-Boland and stop playing with your crayons like a little kid
Carol Thompson he wrote a article with my name in it I’m free to say what I want BEAT IT
Dennis Goslow I’m free to say what I want !
Poor Michelle your feeble mind is a terrible thing
Hitting the drugs early Michelle , stop embarrassing the normal citizens of this city
Michelle you’re an idiot
Wow..how to win friends and influence people
Nasty
U better stop harassing me in my inbox I will sue you last warning I’m calling the police 👮♀️
Michelle Penrice-Boland classy
The taxpaying citizens have spoken.
i want a total refund on my taxes
A complete and total waste of time and money.
It shouldn’t require “stories” for anyone to understand the logo. The purpose of a logo is to speak for itself.
David Root very very ugly
Dennis Goslow … You’re missing the point.
David Root uglys in this year?
I know some kindergarten kid drew it up
Who was handicap
Dennis Goslow … My point is that a logo should be instantly recognized for what it represents. There shouldn’t need to be interpretive stories to explain it.
It is terrible it doesn’t reflect our city at all,and it certainly doesn’t draw tourists to our city,,a round ball with different colours hows that draw people in,,the city as a whole should of had a say.
Sandra Joyce Moreau if anything it will scare people away from here
Terrib6
IT’S BRUTALLY AWFUL!
If theres a way to screw sumthing up and do it wrong city council will definitely find it.
Kevin Charrette yep
Seems like the typical governmental modus operandi.
But this local great kid solved it his designs are much better and show us! https://saultonline.com/2019/05/local-graphic-artist-solves-sault-logo-problem-in-15-minutes/?fbclid=IwAR3TUDnx0loCUzAMNkyEmT789pCJw4FyGD3eHx9bepVox74K88SRv4vHdUk
Ivan Lambert no..its still crap
Leave the old one its much nicer
He did a great job. Better then the out of town pros!!!
It is better but I do still prefer the original
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