South Dublin County Council spent €150k on rebrand project
In a response to Councillor Ronan McMahon, SDCC said that €151,475 excluding VAT was spent on a contract with Image Now Consultants, following a tender process.
The authority said it was important to place the figure in the context of a review into its brand identity and reputation which it held last year.
In the review, during which more than 1,000 people were consulted, the council found that SDCC residents 'do not know what local authority area they live in and they find the name confusing'.
It also found that the old branding had become 'fractured and diluted', to the point where it was 'problematic' in an increasingly digital world.
The colours of orange and grey were also found to hold 'no connection with either the county or the organisation'.
To solve this, SDCC engaged the services of Dublin-based design consultancy Image Now to develop a new identity and brand for the local authority.
The refreshed look was launched on May 20 and includes an updated online presence, new colour palette and a custom-designed accessible typeface called SDCC Sans.
'SDCC now has a robust brand strategy, system and architecture that reflects the identity of the organisation and county that is grounded in that research and reflects the needs and ambitions of the people who live and work here,' the response to Cllr McMahon reads.
"The brand architecture means every project will be aligned with the master brand, thereby removing the disparate individual project brands that have grown over time.
"This will mean a reduced spend on graphic design and website creation, and serves the public by being clearer and more accountable because everyone will know it is a project delivered or supported by SDCC,' it added.
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SDCC said it has an annual budget of €390m and a capital investment programme of €1.7bn, and this spend represents a 'tiny fraction' of that.
It added that the refreshed brand was 'essential' to ensuring the public is aware of everything they do.
Colm Ward, SDCC chief executive, said at the launch of the new branding that it had been 'a long time coming'.
"South Dublin is evolving — and now is the right time to invest in how we reflect that to the public. This isn't about surface change. It's about delivering better service, better connection, and building greater trust'.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
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