BREAKING: NKDC members vote by majority to change logo

Sleaford Councillor Mark Suffield had called for a recorded vote and the eventual outcome was 23 members in favour of the change and 13 against.

There has been public outcry on local social media sites since the news of the proposals to update the authority’s logo as part of a rebranding exercise.

Many North Kesteven residents have claimed it a waste of money and unnecessary.

It is anticipated that related costs to implementing the new branding strategy will amount to up to £5,000 and could take up to three years to completely roll out to minimise spending and wastage.

The current logo, an orange sun/flower has been in use in North Kesteven for 12 years.

Officers have been seeking to “re-vision” and “evolve” it into something which more characterises the flourishing, dynamic and vibrant characteristics of the council’s approach to the community and promotes their revised vision and plan for the district.

The new logo is proposed to build on the strengths of the existing one with a more contemporary style and shape, incorporating deep orange (to add more uniformity than the current varying shades of orange which can be hard to reproduce) and dark green, to be easily read across all formats. It would also result in lower printing costs.

The preferred design, referred to as the ‘Flourish’, takes its inspiration directly from the petal whorl of the out-going flower-like logo and is said to be rooted in the physical, economic and emotional landscape of North Kesteven, broken down to continue a circular theme but with added dynamism.

It nods to aviation, engineering and agriculture, all aspects of the district, strengthening corporate identity.

In a report Corporate Director Phil Roberts and Communications and Media Manager Jason Hippisley state that the old phrase ‘districtNK’ is confusing, lacks credibility and meaning and doesn’t communicate who the authority is. Nor does the current brand stand out alongside partner logos.

They want to reflect a change to the council’s vision from the long-held ‘100 Flourishing Communities’ to the more inclusive ‘A District of Flourishing Communities’.

The council’s in-house graphic designer was tasked with refreshing the branding through “limited, low-cost intervention rather than wholesale, expensive change”. Continued use of orange as a core colour ensures existing materials can still be used up over time, avoiding greater expenditure.

DistrictNK would be removed, replaced by the full ‘North Kesteven District Council’ to clearly reinforce its status.

Adoption of the new design, which would still require fine tuning, would take effect following the Annual Council Meeting in May. Signage and paperwork would be relabelled and adapted as cheaply as possible as and when things need to be replaced.

“While the bulk of the transition should be complete within 12 months, in reality, it may take a good three years to full role out comprehensively,” says the report.