Ada County Highway District rebrands with a new logo. How much did it cost taxpayers?
The Ada County Highway District has a new logo and “brand identity,” after the county’s roads agency contracted with a consultant to design its new look.
The new logo replaces its purple and black insignia and tagline “Committed to Service” with a more modern-looking logo that includes a colorful “A.” The letter has seven bars on it, which represent the six cities and unincorporated parts of Ada County, according to a news release. Orange and yellow represent construction colors, while blue represents “trust and professionalism,” and green depicts the “pull from the environment.”
The agency’s new logo is, “Connecting you to more.”
“While we have referred to this project as a rebrand, it’s really the first time ACHD has had a true brand and identity,” Shandy Lam, the agency’s deputy director of communications, said in the release. “Our employees are dedicated, professional, innovative and take great pride in the work they do in our community. We’re excited to have a cohesive brand that reflects that.”
ACHD paid North Star Place Branding $80,000 for the rebrand, ACHD spokesperson Rachel Bjornestad told the Idaho Statesman by email. The process took about a year.
North Star’s work included “not only the new logo, colors, look and feel, but the steps to get there, including comprehensive research both internally and externally, focus groups and community survey,” Bjornestad wrote.
“While there are of course other expenses, we’ve worked hard to integrate the branding rollout into regular operations,” she added. “We delayed clothing orders and limited office supply orders (business cards, envelopes, etc.) to minimize waste. While some things will be rebranded quickly, others will take time based on a variety of factors.”
Funding for new vehicle decals and wraps will come from “surplus vehicle and equipment sales revenue,” she wrote, and other expenses will be covered by interest on investments.
“No property tax, sales tax or highway user fee distributions have been or will be impacted or used for this project,” she wrote. “No current or future capital, maintenance or traffic projects will be impacted by this project either.”
Other agencies in the U.S. have spent similar amounts — or more — on rebrandings in recent years.
The city of Franklin, Wisconsin, spent $81,000 on a new logo in 2019. Green Bay is in the process of rebranding, which is expected to cost between $90,000 to $110,000.
A Boise School District marketing campaign, which included a rebrand, cost $200,000 last year, according to Idaho Education News.
