City Approves New Logo but Rejects Slogan

Leaders settled on what will be the city's unified brand image Thursday night.

However, they sent the proposed slogan, "Life Flows Your Way," back to the drawing board.

"I’m looking for something a little more kitschy, a little more exciting, a little more cool," Commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski told a Wilesmith Advertising representative.

If you could propose a new slogan to market Dunedin to outsiders, what would it be? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.

The new brand image depicts the multicolor word “DUNEDIN” in a clean, all-capital-letter, san-serif font, with a wavy, tri-color E. Each letter is a different color — orange, green, red, blue and yellow — which "makes a statement that you have a lot going on here," according to Wilesmith representative Scott Eurich. 

Underneath the DUNEDIN image was a byline and tagline that read: “Home of Honeymoon Island / Life Flows Your Way,” but commissioners sent it back for more work.

"I thought 'Home of Honeymoon Island' was good," Commissioner David Carson said, explaining that he believes it helps unify both sides of the community. "For a long time, I thought we had that (Honeymoon Island) separated out there." 

The byline, "Home of Honeymoon Island," was embraced by a majority the commission, but the tagline received a dissatisfied response.

"There are perception issues about what 'flows' is all about," Mayor Dave Eggers said.

Original Osprey Design Didn't Impress Citizens

The brand image and tagline was selected and recommended by the Branding Selection Committee in January after the group's original choice, a heart-shaped blue and green osprey, received unexpected public backlash. Commission input was stalled when it was discovered that the St. Pete Pier used a similar "E" design for its logo. However, the city attorney . The St. Pete Pier is slated for demolition in May 2013.

"It’s a very difficult thing to brand a city because a lot of people take it personally when you put a brand on them," Eurich said. He pointed out that allowing public input is usually where the process breaks down, adding that he wouldn't have suggested doing that.

Both Carson and Bujalski were quick to jump to the citizenry's defense. 

"Thirty-five thousand people do have a right to give their opinion because they’re paying for it," Bujalski said, explaining that six years of commission experience gives her some degree of expertise over the community response. "My expertise says we hit a nerve with some people. ... You've only been in Dunedin five or six times."

Although Carson said he would prefer using the original , which was enthusiastically endorsed by both Wilesmith Advertising and local ad designer Bill Francisco, whose agency has done national work for the likes of Busch Gardens and other companies, he agreed with Bujalski. "They’re paying for it," he said.

New Brand Will Be Used on Promotional Materials

Officials gave permission for the brand to be immediately incorporated on the city's website and other materials, while they await a marketing portfolio, plan and updated tagline.

Wilesmith Advertising of West Palm Beach was  to help establish a unified branding and marketing strategy for attracting outsiders to Dunedin.