[Citydweller]

So, I get home from work today, and in my email box is a little ditty telling me about "Exciting news for downtown Lancaster!"

The news is that the City has a "new brand", along with a catch-phrase-thingy: a city authentic

But wait, it gets worse. There's a graphic involved:




Now I have a LOT of bad things to say about all of this, including who the hell decided to do this and how was it paid for and why in the hell weren't we asked if we even WANTED a "new brand"!?!?!?!?!

But first, let's examine the "rose", such as it is.

To start with, it's orange. Being as Lancaster is The Red Rose City, that's just completely from Mars. Or some lame-assed metrosexual "design professional" wearing euro-glasses and a turtleneck.

Next, and I think this is kind of important here, it's not a rose.

This is a rose:



This is an orange box with random lines running through it:



Everyone notice the difference?

Next, we have the "catch phrase": a city authentic

I have three words to say about this one, but I'm not going to say them, even though I'm allowed to in here. I think we can "take it as read".

Obviously, the euro-glasses-wearing metrosexual had a power-lunch with his racquetball partner, a renaissance literature major working on his masters, and they thought that piece of crap up after 3 or 4 cosmos. Probably still bragging about it to their other euro-trash intellectualist metrosexual business pals.

But the thing is, it sucks ass.

It says nothing about Lancaster, and worse, it sounds like we're trying to explain how "authentic" we are, like it's a question that needs to be settled.

Authentically what, exactly? In existence?

Our old catch phrase, "America's Oldest Inland City" actually meant something, and it was a very nice point of historical pride to take, since we are that indeed.

This new piece of crap sounds like we're either a trendy bistro or the title of a failed off-broadway play.

Last, we have the "new" typeface for the whole package. Bold, stirring, hinting at history and drama..... it isn't. Looks like Arial Narrow to me. Comes free with even the crappiest word processor. Looks like the company secretary did it, in a hurry.

SO, if you haven't figured it out yet, I think this entire thing sucks in the biggest possible way.

I want to know who did it.

I want to know who decided someone should even do it to begin with.

I want to know what it cost, and who's paying for it. Oh yeah, and the commercial and brochure that come along with it. What the hell did those cost ???

Lastly, I want to know what involvement city council had in the "re-branding" of the city, and why the hell nobody ever bothered to mention it before just doing it, like someone besides US owns the damned city.


So, what do the rest of you think?

[Kate]

Once again, the city administration has decided to do something without public input. When Rick Gray and Co were re-elected they were given another green light to do as they please without public input.

Once again, taxpayer money is being spent for artsy fartsy niceties that really won't do anything to help the city.

What the hell does "city authentic" mean??

[Becky]

Holy crap! That is awful! Really awful! OMG!

[FDR]

You did vote for the guy didn't you? In all seriousness though, it looks like a bunch of crap! Just as you put it. If this was a good thing or at least something they thought would bring good things and notoriety to the city you'd think they'd have been pumping it to everyone for quite a long time. I have to got with Kate's theory on this one. Looks like something the idiot in charge wanted and knew he'd take all kinds of hell for it so it was kept quite hush hush.

Shoot me the email if you could? I'd like to check the whole thing out.

[Kate]

FDR, on 11 August 2010 - 07:27 PM, said:

You did vote for the guy didn't you?

No

[Kate]

One of my neighbors made this comment about the logo:

"Reminds me of an emblem used by Germany in the 1930's"

[GRUMPY]

It should say "a city full of thugs"

[Farmer Vincent]

A city authentically confused.

[Cultural Infidel]

Lancaster - A city (More or less)

Later...CI

[Citydweller]

Kate, on 11 August 2010 - 08:47 PM, said:

One of my neighbors made this comment about the logo:

"Reminds me of an emblem used by Germany in the 1930's"

Perhaps we can call it the "Lancstika".

[fishbulb]

For what it's worth, that little cubic rose icon is not terribly new. Look around - it's been on city signs for months, if not more than a year. That said, in the instances I've seen it, it's always been bold red. Orange is definitely incorrect.

"A city authentic" sounds like it was spat out by some online slogan generator. A factory despondent. Blech.

[RonHarper]

I think that the symbol is a knock-off of a politically correct 'unity' symbol.

rh

[salty]

Citydweller, on 11 August 2010 - 10:16 PM, said:

<br />Perhaps we can call it the &quot;Lancstika&quot;.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Kind of struck me that way, but doesn't fit the definition as well as the symbol already displayed at the Heritage Center.

Authentic: 1. entitled to acceptance or belief; reliable; trustworthy <see Lancaster anywhere in there?

[RonHarper]

Obviously, what's next should be your suggestions of Lancaster's 'motto'!

[edsmiff]

RonHarper, on 12 August 2010 - 05:31 AM, said:

Obviously, what's next should be your suggestions of Lancaster's 'motto'!

Bad streets, bad food, high crime

It's not as bad a Jersey

Bring your own gun

[mmc0412]

salty, on 12 August 2010 - 04:29 AM, said:

<br /><br /><br />

Kind of struck me that way, but doesn't fit the definition as well as the symbol already displayed at the Heritage Center.

Authentic: 1. entitled to acceptance or belief; reliable; trustworthy <see Lancaster anywhere in there?

Yes, I do see Lancaster:

entitled to acceptance or belief

[suburban conservative]

I think someone has an inferiority complex in City Hall. A city authentic?? What kind of statement is that? What were they thinking?

[Cultural Infidel]

RonHarper, on 12 August 2010 - 05:31 AM, said:

Obviously, what's next should be your suggestions of Lancaster's 'motto'!

Lancaster - A City (Really, we are. I'm not kidding. Stop Laughing. I'm serious.)

Later...Shawn

[GeezUS]

.

[Stinkbug]

I got the email too and I thought it stinks. The logo, the slogan, the font...bummer. I just got back from a photography business workshop and we talked about branding for half a day. I certainly wouldn't consider myself knowledgable on the topic of branding, but given the little that I did learn, I can say with a decent amount of confidence that this sucks. I really like "the oldest inland city". That says a hell of a lot in just a few words and is something interesting to tout to visitors.
It really irks me that this is the logo and catchphrase that outsiders are going to see everywhere. Incredibly, Lancaster was featured in the August issue of Bon Appetit which brings a significant amount of attention to us from a certain group of people. And this is the logo by which we'll be known to all those people who now know we exist?! The least they could have done was come up with a few designs and allow us to vote. Or have a design contest.