We’ve helped bring multiple slogans to life for the city on t-shirts in the past. Well, now we’re thinking a bit more…um…sleeveless?
Dave at Little Shop of Stories – one of the true brainchildren behind DM’s one and only t-shirt slogan “Decatur: There’s a Festival For That!” – has a new creative branding campaign he’d like to launch: creating a new Decatur flag.
Over on the Little Blog of Stories, Dave writes that Decatur’s current logo, while familiar to many, doesn’t “distinguish our great city from any other.”, so it may not be the best option for a new flag. He believes that a well designed flag can unite, identify and be a lot of fun (especially if you’re Sheldon from Big Bang Theory).
He even lays out what can make a good flag, according to the North American Vexillological Association:
- It should be simple.
- Its design should have meaning.
- It should employ only a few colors. The fewer, the better.
- There should have no lettering.
- It should be distinctive.
To give an example, Dave looks to the city flag of Chicago, which is displayed all around the city in various fashion and has been adopted in many official and unofficial ways:
Simple, yet distinctive.
If you’re interested in this creative exercise and process, express it in the comments below and then send Dave an email at [email protected] to get in on the action.
If there’s enough interest, he’s aiming for adoption of the flag by June 14, 2017 – Flag Day!
Flag examples courtesy of Little Blog of Stories
i watched a really cool tedtalk or something of the sort about city flag design a while back. will look for it…
here we go, well worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnv5iKB2hl4
Funny, I started to post http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/vexillonaire/ which is the link to Roman Mars’ original post and podcast about this. It is a great read / listen too although probably says the same things as are in the TED talk.
Can anything be done with the design for the iconic aqua street lights on the town square space? Aqua background with outline of the lamp in silver/grey? Maybe simplify the scrollwork if it’s too complicated.
I think anybody who has visited our square would associate it with the city. If we’ve got it, FLAUNT it!
This is that Dave.
The process of creating a flag would take a commitment, which I’m up to doing if folks think this would be a cool, worthwhile endeavor. If, on the other hand, the reaction is “meh” then I’m willing to think this is a concept that isn’t going to fly. (Sorry, I love puns. To quote Juror #12 from Twelve Angry Men: “Here’s an idea. Let’s run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it.”)
What I’m really hoping for here is whether you think “cool” or “meh”.
Thanks!
Love the exercise, as a fun thing to explore, but not particularly eager to change the current flag.
Maybe you create something for people to use as alternate, informal logo?
There’s a current City of Decatur flag? Or did you mean “current logo”?
Sorry – don’t actually know. Assumed any flag we used would be a white field with the city logo centered.
I like City of Decatur’s Home/School/House of Worship logo. Would that be simple enough for a flag?
Agree
I would like to see something like the Colorado state flag – simple.
http://media.thedenverchannel.com/photo/2016/07/26/thumbnail_coinfoflag%202016-07-26%20at%201.16.07%20PM_1469562662161_43143929_ver1.0_640_480.png
Ok I am definitely in the “meh” category. Decatur’s logo is iconic. It’s one of the most recognizable logos of any city I know and very much tied to the City of Decatur. The two year old grandchild of one of my friends recognized the image and what it stood for. Don’t think you can get a better visual connection confirmation than that. Trying to come up with a different image for a flag means spending an awful lot of time and energy to market the image and establish a visual connection with the City of Decatur. How would it be different or for that matter better than they one we have that is already widely connected to our community? If you don’t like the number of colors (and there is a story behind why there are so many), it can be produced in two colors — generally black on a white background. Geez, this idea would be like Coca Cola dropping their distinctive red script for something more modern or UGA ditching the bulldog.
I absolutely get your characterization of the city’s logo. When I began talking to people about the idea of a flag, I found a great deal of fondness for the logo. I don’t care for it personally, but I agree that there is considerable attachment to it.
Coca Cola’s distinctive script has undergone numerous changes over the years. It is well known by a second name, Coke. Its marks also include their distinctive shade of red, the white wave, and the shape of its bottle. Numerous slogans such as “Things Go Better With Coke” and “It’s the Real Thing” come and go. All of which is to say that something can be recognized by a variety of different forms.
I think that Decatur, which is greater than Coke and older by 69 years, could support another symbol. But, yea, I don’t know if it’s worth the time and energy.
Lyn – What is the story behind the different colors in the logo?
Actually Coca Cola’s distinctive script remains unchanged but we’ll leave that for another day. The story of the nine colors in the logo — when the logo was designed in the late 1970s, the designer incorporated all of the colors included in the international safety sign palette. Google “Color coding and signs CORE-Safety” for a safety sign manual. You will see all of our logo colors on the list and what they represent. There’s your trivia for the day.
Sadly the best Decatur logo I’ve seen isn’t CoD’s…it’s Decatur City Church’s.
We need to just have CoD buy that from DCC.
Or come up with a new city logo, one that just says “Decatur, Georgia” not “City of Decatur.” Do we really think people will confuse the City of Decatur with Decatur County, some 240 miles away, bordering FL and home to the city of Bainbridge? The current logo is cute…but I’m not into cute. And the entrance sign on Scott/Ponce…what city isn’t one of homes, schools, and places of worship? Where are the BUSINESSES? That’s a key reason people love Decatur.
So yes. Please design a new logo (that can also be on a flag without the “Decatur, Georgia”), new slogan. But replacing all of the signage is too much $. So yeah, meh.
Slogan ideas
“Where we’re all either edecated or edecaturs”
“Throwing shade from the east side”
“East of Atlanta, North of Heaven”
Re: Decatur, Georgia vs. City of Decatur. Those are actually two very different entities. The first is a very wide postal address that stretches from north of N. Druid Hills to south of Memorial. City of Decatur is an incorporated city of just 4 square miles. It lies within the postal address of Decatur, Georgia but is only a portion of it. Folks understandably confuse the two all the time.
I understand the geopolitical distinction, but I’m talking about branding. I doubt there will be a competing entity looking to brand the larger zip codes area without confusing it with the city. “Decatur, Georgia” is essentially unbranded, and thus there for the taking. I also think the vast majority of people who would see the branding would associate it with the center of it all, 30030/the city, not necessarily those sharing a zip code but not the benefits / drawbacks of cityhood residency (schools/higher taxes).
I just feel like drawing a distinction between CoD and Decatur postal codes not within CoD feels unnecessarily exclusionary for branding purposes. I also think Decatur is getting some national attention, thus the branding needs to think larger than branding for the “already aware and already highly likely to be proud and/or loyal of their city” crowd. I would totally wear a Decatur, Georgia shirt and/or cap during my national / world travels. Don’t know I’d say the same about the current logo and “City of Decatur” wordmark which feels like it would say “I work for this city in somewhere, but unless you recognize the logo, you probably won’t have any idea what it is.” Branding 30030…feels played out. 30307 has already spent an effort on that.
So I went to Decatur City Church’s website and Facebook page and did like the logo. Actually I like the logo filled in with stores and other establishments better than the one with just streets and a white non-square Square.
But I find the name odd. Decatur City Church isn’t in any Decatur–not the City, not the County, not the postal address. And if I read the blog correctly, it was previously located in Stone Mountain. “Decatur” is truly a malleable designation.
Decatur City Church plans to build a home in the city of Decatur, once they have sufficient funds raised. Given downtown property values… that is taking some time.
It’s a fun idea. Isn’t it mostly dependent on the design and not the idea of a flag? I’d like to give it a try. We have room for another symbol, I think.
While i agree that our existing logo is well established, distinctive and memorable, i also don’t feel it reflects how Decatur has grown over the past 15 years I’ve lived here.
That being said, I wouldn’t want the city to invest much time replacing it…
But… I do think it would be fun for the community to come up with a flag to represent our commitment and passion for the city. After all, Oakhurst has their Oaktree flags and Inman Park has their butterfly flags but nobody flies the homes, churches and schools logo flag.
Plus, it would be entertaining to see the pitched battles of the different subcultures within our community.
I think the courthouse is our most iconic visual symbol, and would be good place to start on a visual.
In addition, it would be fun to have a new t-shirt with a new logo and tag line. I think we are a community of books, beer and children. We celebrate them at festivals, we make them, and we enjoy spending time with them more than the average community.
Books, Beer, and Children cracks me up. Several years ago, COD had a competition the City in a few words–can’t remember if it was 5 or 7. Decatur: books, beer, and children! or Decatur: books, beer, bikes, trees, and children!
City Slogans:
“Decatur – I’m sorry, you’re wrong”
“Decatur – Anyone here not from Portland or Brooklyn?”
“Decatur – New Monolith”
http://kut.org/post/austin-really-still-keeping-it-weird
The above is a story highlighting the genesis of Austin’s famous slogan, “Keep Austin Weird.” Was actually to act as a shield against big boxes moving in. I think downtown Decatur is under siege too with the N. Decatur Rd / Scott Blvd developments bring nothing but big boxes in.
Makes me think “Keep it Indie-catur” is an established one that at least speaks to the business side of the house, though I rarely see that in use…maybe just needs a new can of paint. You can’t benefit from the community and quality of life that small businesses provide without patronizing them. And there are a lot for a town of just over 20K.
Okay…I’m going a little off topic. What we need more than a logo/flag is a big park that can handle midsized music-based festivals…and there’s only one piece of downtown property without current use that would suit that…and will soon be developed (Callaway at Trinity and Commerce). Doubt that Parks dept would let Ebster be used for that. Can you imagine though if both were used in a single festival? With a third stage up on the square by the fountain? One in the surface lot across Commerce from Callaway property)?
In keeping with Decatur’s spirit of independence I definitely think we need some version of, “Don’t Tread on Me”.